These are pretty large - one is 14 inches and the other is 15 inches across. i got them to store some of my pottery collection in. plus they're pretty cool in their own right. never heard of Stor Aid before.

Driving for the fastest pilot on Earth!!
My name is Jesus "Chuy" Lui Liogon I live in the state of Sonora, Mexico in a town in the middle of a big agricultural valley called Valle del Yaqui where lots of doves feed and nest year round and because of this special situation is how I got the opportunity to meet who was considered at the time the fastest man alive and one of the bravest too!!
Back in the year 2001 I was working as a driver-guide in a duck and dove hunting local company.
One day my boss told me I had to go to the local airport to pick up a small group of dove hunters I got the name of the person who had booked the hunt and also I knew they were flying a private jet plane, just another day at the office for me I thought to my self!! How could I know I was about to meet Charles Elwood Yeager, that's how his passport showed.
It was late that 2001 February afternoon when the private jet landed and I approached the immigration officers to help the hunters with the paperwork at this time one the hunters asked me if I was Chuy I said yes and that's when this gentleman,who was a retired Colonel himself told me who the other hunters were, General Brigadier Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager,WWII ace pilot Bud Anderson and another hunter and the owner of the Plane whose last name was Mr. Lewis, the immigration paperwork went smoothly so we got in to the van and drove in to the city of Obregon were the lodge was located next morning we had a light breakfast and took off to the nearby mountains where we were hunting at the time for white winged doves in some small ranches with some sorghum crops, we drove about an hour it was about 6 am when I started installing each hunter in a previously marked spots about an hour later I made my first round to check on the hunters and see if they were having plenty of doves to shoot at and I noticed the doves where just avoiding the spot where General Yeager was hunting so I drove my van close to where he was and I said to him" General I think the doves are avoiding you because you are wearing an orange colored RUGGS RANCH HUNTING cap" He looked at me and very calmly but firm, do you really think they can see my hat?? And I said: yes General I really think so and I said: General you can use my camo cap and see what happens and he said: ok and he handed me his cap and grabbed mine, well his hunting improved during that day later that night when we arrived at the lodge he said to me: please give me back my hat!!
They hunted with me for two more days, General always rode on the passenger seat next to me, so we talked for a few times on our daily driving to the fields!!!
Without a doubt the most memorable experience of my life!!
The day they were leaving our lodge General handed us pictures and signed them to us!!
But right before he got into my van General Chuck Yeager took his orange hat off signed and gave it to ME!! He smiled and said: thank you Chuy! A man of few words!!!
A few days later later I received by mail a photograph of colonel Bud Anderson signed also a very quiet man even though he was a war hero also!!
Story by Jesus "Chuy" Lui Liogon

Third Reich visor cap of a Wehrmacht recruiting officer, a rare find. I purchased this as a Feldgendarmerie visor cap, which is also a very scarce type that is likewise piped in red-orange waffenfarbe, and after receiving it discovered that the interior of the sweatband is marked Gepruft W.B.KDO.B which is stands for Wehrbezirkskommando (Recruitment District Headquarters) making it a 100% recruitment cap !! the last B is for the area which is probably the Berlin District. The visor cap was manufactured by the prestigious firm of Berolina (aka G.A . Hoffman) which was located in Berlin. The outstanding quality of the materials used to make this cap make it of pre-war manufacture. The piping color (waffenfarbe) of recruiters was changed to white in 1942. The hand-embroidered wreath and cockade are beautifully executed, with one or two metal highlights missing. The exterior is constructed of the finest quality doeskin wool, with very light moth tracking on the rear piping. The interior is of the finest ribbed silk and shows fairly heavy honest wear and sweat stains, but the maker mark and celluloid sweat diamond are fully visible and almost 100% intact. The underside of the visor exhibits thumbnail marks from the original owner’s donning and removing the cap over a long period. The markings The Gepruft inspection stamps indicate that this was an NCO promoted to officer rank. The quality of this private purchase piece indicate that the NCO was financially well-off.

]]>Military and Wartime / World War Twohttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/228248-third-reich-visor-cap-of-a-wehrmacht-rechttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/228248-third-reich-visor-cap-of-a-wehrmacht-recMilitary or Band Caphttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/227599-military-or-band-cap
Thu, 25 May 2017 19:25:54 -0700

I've found this cap in the attic but have no idea to whom it belong. It says Loforte and Campbasso . It's seems to be wool with a leather brim and as you can see it is navy blu with red braid. We don't have any musicians in the family either. Thanks

i bought this off a homeless guy selling it on the street in san francisco a couple years ago. i cleaned it really well w/ leather cleaner and then i waxed it and let it sit in the sun for a couple days and polished it. now i wear it almost everyday. it's amazingly well-made! very light and comfortable and can be squished into a pocket and then straightened out easily. it's just one of the best hats i've ever owned [and i own at least 50 of all kinds!].

This hat was willed by my grandfather who collected hats. Likely this was from 1920's. Seems to be 24 K gold not in perfect condition, but seems very interesting.. the note attached indicates that this was worn by German Farmers for some kind of special event.

I inherited many years ago a fedora type hat with " c e greenhill..olive Hill ky " stamped inside it. It belonged to my great grandfather. It needs cleaned and reshaped but I don't know any trustworthy places. Also I can find absolutely no information about this hat on the internet. Can anyone tell me anything? Thank you

Condition is important when collecting. But this old oilcloth cap even in rough condition was a bargain eBay BIN at less than a Jackson.

This thing even smells old (the good kind). TGBWC found an auction record for one, described as "1920's-1930's". I wouldn't be surprised if it's on the early end of that range, or maybe teens. Age, colors, logo, and material make this cap worthy of display.

This is a T. Eaton Co Limited Vintage Georgette Hat circa 1950's.
Acquired from a fellow who's mother owned this particular hat, and was in the original Eaton's hat box. His mother used to shop exclusively at Eaton's Winnipeg Store for all her merchandise, including hats.

This is a T. Eaton Co Limited Vintage Michael Howard Hat circa 1950's.
Acquired from a fellow who's mother owned this particular hat, and was in the original Eaton's hat box. His mother used to shop exclusively at Eaton's Winnipeg Store for all her merchandise, including hats.

This is a T. Eaton Co Limited Vintage Andre Hat circa 1950's.
Acquired from a fellow who's mother owned this particular hat, and was in the original Eaton's hat box. The mother used to shop exclusively at Eaton's Winnipeg Store for all her merchandise.

This is a Eaton Hat Box circa 1960. Before the new design in 1970 these hat boxes were used. Size is 12" inch x 12" inch square, 8" inch depth. Printed two color grey and white. White is the hardest to print as you have to hit it at least twice to stand out on a dark color card stock.

This is a Eaton's Hat Box circa. 1970. This was given to me by some kind folks in Winnipeg. The Eaton's logo and blue, red stripes was designed by Art Director Bob Riddell and Head Fashion Photographer James Bordass both who were employed at the Eaton's Winnipeg Store.

I don't usually find much good stuff at the thrift-store Goodwill (and as I was typing this I asked Andrew how Goodwill is formatted, as he works there, and he said he didn't know-- which is fairly alarming, since one would think he knows if it's a capital W or a separate word, in which he then went to look, thus discovering his badge all in upper case and his shirt all in lower case which was not helpful at all]!) but have lately been doing well there.

Anyway, the hat is a vintage 3x Beaver Stetson which I got for $1.50 in like-new condition. Sadly, it doesn't fit my head. Just needs a bit of re-shaping.

Delivery hats were once a diamond "E" on front of the hat in the early 1900's. The braided brass "EATON'S" logo typeface in the 1950's, replaced the diamond "E". In 1970 new uniforms and hats replaced the braided brass "EATON'S" logo typeface with a new embroidery "EATON'S" cloth patch logo typeface, and used through to 1999.

I saw this in a local shop and had to bring it home for one of my mannequin heads. It is really cool how it is made. It has paper wrapped inside to keep it stiff. It reminds me of Valentino or David Bowie in his "Blue Jean" video.

What Rick did to his ordinary yellow construction helmet 40-50 years ago is - well - OOAK. Painted the yellow a strong green then using a complimentary hot orange color proceeded to zig zag with arbitrary shapes all over his helmet. I choose to think these are not the patterns he was seeing while working - especially on a skyscraper.... but... Could have been a recycling of old equipment (helmet) for use in a protest or outdoor concert - we will never know. Pretty cool artifact of the era regardless.

Hi there, I have had this hat since I was a child and added some Royal Engineers badges and buttons on the side to make it look nice but cannot remember where I got it from or what it is. It clearly isn't a royal engineers hat, and I seem to remember it might be from the railway but have no clue and have given up on google. Does anyone out there have any ideas?
Thanks, the mad hatter.

Here is a rare Reichswehr Saxon Infantry Officers cap, private purchase circa 1930 with beautiful hand-embroidered bullion insignia. The cap is in near-mint condition. The cap maker (Paul Zimmer, Bautzen) is from a town in Saxony so the cockade is proper and means it's probably for the 10th, 11th or 12th Infantry Regiment. The body is constructed of the finest quality field gray wool, with a slightly darker green cap band. The interior is lined with high-grade rose gold silk, with a top grain leather sweatband. The silver cord identifying it as of officer rank is the first style, thinner variety and is quite rare in itself. Everything about the cap indicates that it was likely the property of a field-grade officer.

Army Signals Officer Private Purchase Cap by Ludwig Fuchs-This handsome cap is produced in a high quality, doeskin wool that is very soft and is quite clean. There is minor moth tracking in a few spots, seen mostly under the folded over sections of the top panel. The front peak is prominent, giving the cap a great look. The bright yellow piping, for signals (Nachrichten) )personnel, is excellent as is the dark green badge cloth center band. The aluminum alloy eagle and wreath retain all of their original silver finish, and the nickel silver finished cockade has toned nicely. The Officer’s bullion chin cords are excellent and securely affixed to the cap via a pair of small silver pebbled aluminum buttons. The black vulkanfibre visor shows minor crazing and fading. The underside of the visor is finished in tan. The top panel of the interior is lined in golden rayon which is very clean. The sides of the interior are lined in ribbed gold rayon. There is a rhomboid shaped clean moisture shield with maker information that reads “Ludwig Fuchs Feine Uniformen Würzburg Ludwigstr. 1 ½ Tel. 4987”. The size of the cap, 53, is ink stamped onto the lining. There is a tan leather sweatband that is near excellent with minor discoloration from use.

This handsome visor cap has a body of soft wool that is very clean. There is minor tracking in a few spots and a small amount of discoloration too. The top panel and at the upper and lower edges of the dark green badge cloth center band are piped in dark yellow (minor nips) indicating cavalry personnel. There is a silver finished aluminum eagle and wreath, each retaining all of their finish (minor discoloration to the eagle). The silver finished cockade has a red felt bulls eye. The officer type, double chin cord is silver bullion and held in place by a pair of pebbled, silver finished buttons. The black vulkanfibre visor has a few chips and some very minor fading. The underside is finished in a cream hue and lightly crosshatched. The interior is fully lined in gold rayon that is very clean. There is a rhomboid shaped moisture shield that is fully intact. The maker info is seen on the moisture shield. "Ihr Uniformschneider Bekleidungshaus Georg Schwert - Bamberg Adolf Hitler Str. 21 - Sämtl. Militär-Effekten" ( Your Uniform Tailor, Clothier House Georg Schwert, Bamberg, Adolf Hitler Str. 21, all military effects) A noted expert has said that the cap was actually made by Schellenburg, and Schwert was just a distributor. The sweatband is light brown leather. It is fully intact with minor wear and discoloration from use. The cap is a size 57.

This is another beaver silk top hat from my collection. It was manufactured exclusively for the Astor House Hotel in New York. It's from the mid-1800's and manufactured by Hunt & Dusenbury. Another fine top hat from the grand old Victorian days.

Notice how the hat is much taller and the grosgrain hat band is quite a bit narrower than the top hats made in later years.

The hat is in very nice condition, with the exception of some of the silk lining coming loose inside and the grosgrain band slightly nibbled at. It has it's original box which is still in fantastic condition.

The Astor House was opened in 1836 and was the first luxury hotel in New York City. It was known as the most prestigious hotel in the country for many decades. By 1870 it was considered old fashioned and unappealing. The south side was demolished in 1913 and by 1926 the rest had been demolished to make room for other businesses. Very sad to hear of these grand old buildings being destroyed.

Anyway, thanks for stopping in to have a look. I do appreciate you all!!!

Eugene Scherman Hat Box New York
This was not for sale in my favorite shop but I saw it high up on a shelf. I convinced the shop owner to sell it to me. I love the graphics. I couldn't find another on line.
There were four cool hats inside but not by Eugene Scherman.

I just acquired this mourning top hat that was manufactured for Vogel Brothers department store. This one is from somewhere between 1880-1895. Given the age of this fine top hat, it is covered in beaver silk. Later on, from the turn of the 20th century, most were covered in either rabbit, ermine or a mixture of both. The mourning band, on this one, is made of cotton. All of my other have wool mourning bands on them.

This top hat was extremely dirty and I removed a tremendous amount of dirt and dust from this one during the cleaning process. Though very old, it still produced a beautiful gleaming shine, after some intense polishing. I was actually a bit unsure if this one would ever come clean and pleasantly surprised at the final results.

Vogel Brothers department store was located at 8th and 42nd Street in New York City. Vogel Brothers, was a 19th-early 20th century department store that specialized in clothing for men, women, and children. Vogel’s had taken up the entire SW corner of 8th Avenue and W. 42nd Street. After the store closed, the building was converted to a theater.

Thanks for stopping in to have a look!!

Scott

]]>Hats / Top Hatshttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/204532-late-1800s-vogel-brothers-mourning-tophttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/204532-late-1800s-vogel-brothers-mourning-topPith Helmet from the Days of Lawrence of Arabiahttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/204275-pith-helmet-from-the-days-of-lawrence-of
Sun, 11 Sep 2016 20:05:40 -0700

This vintage Aden-style (or Cawnpore) pith helmet dates back to WW I and was widely used in North Africa and the Indian sub-continent. Although the leather chin-strap has become brittle, the helmet is in very good condition inside and out. These style helmets were made in Bombay through about 1932 and are named after the shola pith that was used for insulation. The Shola is a light, woody marsh plant which has a pithy core that can be molded in various forms.

The picture is of Lowell Thomas (journalist) in 1918 when he was writing of the exploits of Capt. T.E. Lawrence a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia while fighting the Turks in Palestine.

While sitting back sipping a single-malt, historical items like this helmet can transport you to a different time and place. Lawerence of Arabia is one of my favorite films and I grew up with Cinerama and Lowell Thomas's travelouges.

This is a 1950's Tress & Co. London made silk top hat. The hat contains the United Kingdom coat of arms inside. The hat is covered in rabbit felt and still has quite a shine to it.

The hat is in minty condition and still has its' original box. The original owner wrote his name on the bottom of the box, B.P. Colton, Portland #1 1954-55. I believe this gentleman must have been a member of the Deering Lodge No. 183 in Portland (Woodfords) Maine and evidently wore this hat during lodge meetings. I say this because there is a Deering Lodge No. 183 pamphlet inside the hat box.

B.P. Colton does not appear to have been a Master at this Deering Lodge No. 183. The pamphlet list all past Masters thru 1963 and his name is not listed.

Third Reich Luftwaffe Visor cap of an enlisted/NCO of a Signals unit (Luftnachrichtentruppe). The cap body is constructed of blue wool, with the black mohair cap band unique to the Luftwaffe. The waffenfarbe (weapons color) piping of the cap is brown. The winged wreath and eagle are stamped aluminum, the patent leather strap is indicative of enlisted grade. The composition black peak has the green underside with a checkered texture.
The interior is lined with light gold silk, with the celluloid sweat shield sporting the maker logo of HPC (Hermann Potthoff of Coesfeld); this maker’s full name never appears on visor caps, just the initials. Frischluft is the HPC developed and patented (DRGM #1419757) ventilation system, and was used under license by other Third Reich visor cap contractors. (The system employed multiple holes behind the wreath and cockade, similar to the Erel patent using a vent in the center of the cockade to allow air flow throughout the interior of the cap.)
Other than a separation in the leather sweatband, this visor cap is in near-perfect condition showing light use and wear.

A few weeks ago, while searching for treasures in an antique mall, I stumbled upon a very old, dried out and dilapidated top hat case with a very dirty silk Dunlap & Co top hat inside. Apparently, it had been passed on by several folks, due to it's condition, so I made a low offer to the person at the counter and they accepted. I knew I had found quite a nice little treasure!

The hat case was irrecoverable and ended up in the garbage, but the hat cleaned up and polished to near mint condition. It's from the 1895-1905 period. This would have been a very high end hat in its' day and would have sold for about $8.00 during that period. That was nearly a weeks' salary for the average working man.

I was thrilled to be able to add a Dunlap & Co. N.Y. top hat to my collection. Especially one so beautiful. Based on the age of this one and the nice lay and shine of the silk, there's no doubt that this one is covered in beaver silk. Rabbit or ermine would not be this highly polished. This one also contains the initials of the original owner T.B.W.

Robert Dunlap received his first job at the age of 12 in 1857 as a general office boy for Charles Knox of Knox Hats in New York. Soon the boy graduated to the ranks of the hat salesmen, and several years later was still selling Knox hats, his salary having risen to $12 weekly. Ambitious, he asked for $15, and when Knox refused the raise the angry, Dunlap left to start his own business. Thus began the famed Dunlap hat company, founded by a onetime Knox errand boy.

By the late 1890's Dunlap Hats was known for the quality of its high end “formal” hats, such as top hats and bowlers. In deed, Dunlap succeeded in turning out the blackest derbies ever known, the Dunlap hat eventually outsold the Knox in Manhattan. For many a year small hat-makers held up their spring lines until they could see and imitate the Dunlap derby and the Knox felt.

As for Knox-Dunlap competition, both the Knox and the Dunlap businesses declined in the second decade of the 20th century and in 1918 Dunlap was acquired by Knox, though hats under the Dunlap name continued to be produced.

I recently acquired this beautiful leather top hat case. This one is from the 1870-1880 period. You'll notice that as the years progressed on into the 1890's, top hat case designs changed for this "Hat" shaped case to a more "Bucket" shaped design.

To find one this old and in this condition was just a thrill for me! It even has it's original key that still operates the lock just beautifully.

This case needed very little attention. A simple cleaning with saddle soap, a bit of mink oil to condition the leather and a good polishing of the brass. The interior has some light staining, but I'm not really concerned about that. The fact that the blue/white striped interior is still intact is good enough for me.

You'll notice the original owners' initials are still on the top. Not sure if the initials are R.U.N. or R.U.M.. I'd love to have seen the hat that was carried in this case. I'm certain that it was a beauty!

Today we have a Victorian era silk mourning top hat. This one was manufactured by Hampden Park (London Manufacturer) and sold by Rabottin in Paris, France.

There were strict mourning guidelines during the Victorian era. The width of the mourning band was based on the importance of the deceased person. A mourning band that covered the entire height of the hat would have been a very close relative such as mother, father, wife or child. So, the narrower the mourning band the less important the deceased person was.

I have not been able to locate any information on Rabottin, but I am assuming they were either a menswear store or a department store of that period.

Though I had to do some serious cleaning of the canvas covered hat box, I was still amazed at the fine condition of the top hat and the original box. A very nice addition to my top hat collection.

I recently acquired this lovely beaver silk top hat and leather case. This one is from Portugal and is from around the 1870-1880 period, possibly a bit older.

Though the case is not in the best condition, it's still pretty good for it's age. It still has a name tag with the original owners name. That's always a plus!

Notice the Hotel Francfort Lisboa decal on the top of the case. The hotel was a very grand place and was opened in 1867 in Lisbon, Portugal.

A search shows Joaquim Antonio Da Silva as a Brazilian Flautist and Composer (1848-1880). But, the 1876 International Exhibition catalog list a Antonio Da Silva and Sons, of Lisbon, Portugal, that produced and sold lead shot. More than likely, this Joaquim Antonio Da Silva, that owned this set, lived in Lisbon and not Brazil.

The hat is in near mint condition, which is remarkable for one this old. The lovely blue/white striped fabric interior is 100% intact. A bit stained, but all there.

As you'll notice, the older style cases, such as this, were more "Hat" shaped, where later styles into the 1900's were more "Bucket" shaped.

This would be the interior and silk top hat from the Tress & Co. London top hat case that I just previously posted. This one is from the early 1900's. The case is in premium condition. The interior is near mint condition and lined with a beautiful red velvet type fabric.

The silk top hat is still in pretty fair condition. Though the moths have started to nibble at the wool hat band, it's still pretty special in my opinion.

Tress & Co. London made this one expressly for "Sutherland's of 3 Reform St, Dundee. I have attempted to locate information on Sutherland's, but I have been unable to come up with anything in regards to this store.

If any of our CW friends from across the pond can tell me anything in regards to Sutherland's and what period of time they existed, I'd be very grateful!

Today, we have an early 1900's top hat case and top hat manufactured by Tress & Co. London.

This one was evidently well cared for by the owner and still retains its' original key. The leather on this one is still extremely supple and in premium condition.

The Tress & Co. hat firm was active in England for over one hundred years being established in 1846 and finally selling to Christy’s in 1953 in the neighboring suburb of Bermondsey. They closed the Stamford St., Southwark site where today the Mad Hatter Hotel is situated.

Today, we have a very early 1900's double top hat carrying case and grey wool felt top hat. These were made for and sold by the Austin Reed Department Store, Regent Street, London, England.

I'm not sure of who the manufacturer of this set would have been, I will just assume they were made exclusively for the Austin Reed department store and not by Austin Reed Store themselves.

The case and top hat would be from the 1900 to 1910 period. The case is still in fair condition, after some serious saddle soap cleaning and conditioning of the leather. A bit of polishing and that was all it took. This one still has its' original key and the solid brass lock still operates beautifully!

The Austin Reed top hat is still in very pristine condition. It was a bit dirty, but a gentle cleaning of the wool felt and Voila!!!

I've had this beautiful set for just slightly over a year now, but I've never posted the entire set together, until now. It's a leather covered triple top hat carrying case with three Knox New York top hats. As you can see, by the 1930 period, the top hat brim style had became more flattened than the turned up brim style of earlier periods. The top portion of the hats had also became quite a bit shorter as well.

The leather case and top hats would date 1932, or prior to that, as the Knox New York logo inside the hats was no longer used after 1932 as the Knox New York hat company merged with Cavanagh and Dunlop hat companies, in 1932, to form The Hat Company at the start of the Great Depression.

Unfortunately, the case is missing the insert that held the remaining two hats. The two black hats are covered in silk made from a mixture of rabbit and ermine to resemble beaver silk. The grey hat is covered in wool felt.

The hats and case are in very nice condition still. Whoever once owned this set was more than likely a theatrical performer or some type of traveling performer, as each of the three hats contain two sets of the same initials inside, K.K.G. and W.B.D.M. I would assume these are the initials of the original owner as well as the initials of the theatrical company.

It could possibly even have been owned by a very high status businessman as well. Anyway, I'd love to find the history of the person who once owned this case and top hats.

If anyone has and information or thoughts on who this beautiful set would have once belonged to, I'd more than welcome your input.

Today, we have another silk top hat from my collection. This one is from Budapest, Hungary. It's made by a company called Krivan, with beaver silk, and still in pretty fair condition, after a good cleaning and polishing.

This one is from the turn of the 20th century and still contains the initials of the original owner, Dr. V. G.

Would just love to know something about the Dr. who owned this one, what his life was like and how he lived. Wouldn't that be interesting?

Here's something you won't see many of. This is a mourning top hat from the Victorian period. This one comes from Germany and still has the original hat box that was sold with it.

Back in the day, mourners clothing wasn't supposed to have too much flash to it and so the ladies wore black or plain colored dresses, gentlemen wore black armbands and if they wore a top hat they had to cover all, or a good portion, of the shiny part of their hat.

This one is just a great example of the top hat that a gentleman mourner would have worn back then. This one is in pristine condition and still contains the initials of the gentleman that originally owned it.

It's also really amazing that the original box has survived all of these many years. Just a well cared for hat, by whoever owned it.

Another of the silk top hats from my collection. This one, I believe, was manufactured in England around the early 1900 period. It still bears the name of the gentleman that owned it, W. L. White. It also has a Industria Floreat "May Industry Flourish" coat of arms inside the hat.

This one is in very nice condition and showing very little wear. I'm very selective of the hats I choose, and I just couldn't pass this one up to add to my collection.

This is a rare Panzergrenadier officer's visor cap in beautiful condition. The body is constructed of field-gray tricot, with a hand-embroidered oak leaf cockade and zinc metal Reichsadler. The waffenfarbe piping is meadow, or grass green.The interior is lined with silver-grey silk, with the celluloid trapezoid inscribed with the distributor's name and location. ("Josef Huber Uniformen Landshut, Bay. ..",) The cap was made by Berolina aka GA Hoffman from Berlin. The term Panzergrenadier was not adopted until 1942. Infantry in panzer divisions from 1939 onwards were known as Schützen Regiments; they wore the same rose pink piping on their uniforms as the tank crews. Soldiers in special Motorized Infantry units wore the standard white piping of the Infantry. In 1942, when Infantry Regiments were renamed as Grenadier Regiments by Hitler as a historical homage to Frederick the Great's Army, the Schützen regiments (and the soldiers in them) began to be re-designated as Panzergrenadier regiments, as did Motorized Infantry units and soldiers. Their waffenfarbe was also changed from either white (in the case of Motorized Infantry) or rose pink (with an "S" cypher that distinguished the Schützen from the tank and anti-tank units that also wore that colour) to a grass green shade previously worn by motorcycle troops. Some units did not change over their designations and/or waffenfarbe accoutrements until 1943, and in some cases did not change at all, one of the factors that contributed to making this a rare variety.

This is another of my many antique top hats and cases. This particular one comes with it's original case. This set was manufactured by the Knox Hat Company of New York around the 1890 period or earlier.

When I took possession of this one, it was in extremely poor condition and just needed some TLC. I cleaned and polished the silk top hat (Don't usually give away any of my restoration secrets, but K-Y Jelly and a hat polishing pillow works great for that), cleaned and conditioned the leather case and cleaned out the interior of the case.

The latch strap is broken and the leather side straps have deteriorated over the last 125 years. Not one of my better top hats, but still rather nice. I bought this one in a lot that also included a Victorian men's waist coat. I'll have to post that sometime very soon.

As many of you already know, I also have a collection of antique top hats and cases. Today, we have my double top hat carrying case. It's made of leather and would have carried two top hats, of course. It's beautifully lined with red satin, as most of them were back then.

This one is from the late 1800's period. Back in the day, ladies and gentlemen traveled with their elaborate hats packed separately as hats were a very important part of their daily dress. This one still has the initials of the gentleman who originally owned this.

Though the leather has aged over the years, it's still very supple. And, considering it's age, this one is still in very nice condition. It's the only double top hat carrier that I have in my collection. There are triple top hat carrying cases out there and I plan to add one of those my collection in the coming years.

I'll be posting some more of my top hats and cases in the coming weeks.

My dog, Buddy will pose for any photo op. So, of course I put holiday hats on his little head and he seems to enjoy the attention or he simply wants to please me. At any rate, here are just a few of Bud's hats. We have St. Pat's day, New Years, Christmas and Halloween represented.

Okay Wiki says the Crown and Cross is Royal Black Institution but everywhere esle I look I see it as Knights Templar under Masonic. I have searched a lot of pictures to find this with no luck! It has a logon in the top that indicates maker in Ohio and from what I can tell it's probably "turn of the century" like 1900's but it could be older. Any help on this welcome but I wanted to share before I sell it off on ebay

I don't have a beaver to pose in this hat. So my dog Buddy volunteered. That's an attempt at humor. This is a man's vintage hat in the box. Not antique, but old enough. Hat is in very good shape. Well cared for.

Very cool straw cap. This belonged to my husband's granddad. He can remember seeing him wear it. Very nice item which I just discovered was handmade in Italy. I've not seen one like it. Probably 1950s??

A rare 3rd Reich Wehrmacht officer’s visor cap of the Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Troops). This near-perfect condition visor cap is constructed of the finest field gray gabardine, with hand-embroidered silver oak leaf wreath and metal cockade. The Reichsadler is fashioned in aluminum with the edelweiss (a flower that grows only at high elevation) placed between the cockade and eagle. There is no evidence that the eagle has been moved upward to accommodate the edelweiss. The waffenfarbe (arms color) piping is hellgrün (light green). The interior of the visor is lined with cream-colored silk, The underside of the leather sweatband is ink stamped “GJ/1937”, and it is partially detached from the liner. The celluloid sweat diamond being maker marked “M. Mauer, Hutmacher Garmisch, Bahnhofstr. 10”, which is most appropriate for this cap since Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a German ski resort in Bavaria, formed when 2 towns united in 1935. It's a prominent destination for winter sports as well as alpine hiking. The town lies near the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak, with a 2,962m summit accessed by cogwheel train and cable car. Garmisch is considered the more fashionable section, while Partenkirchen's cobblestone streets retain a traditional Bavarian feel. The 1st Gebirgsjäge division was formed from primarily Bavarian units, so it is likely that the original owner of this visor cap was assigned to that division. It was accused of committing many war crimes throughout the division’s operational existence.

I believe to be pre 1900 Forage hat. Found in Old Barn, very top were very few if any were up there in the last 50 years or so. It was Mfg. by the B.F. Foster Son & Co. They went out of business around 1906 or so. The Business was located in Chicago, Il, on Madison Street. It has very nice Leather visor with gold piping, and two unique cap buttons on each side. I don't know anything about the cap emblem or what designation wore this hat. ANY OTHER INFORMATION WOULD BE APPRECIATED. Thank-You

A very rare Model 1910 field-gray visor cap of the Kgl. Sächs. (Royal Saxon) 2. Husaren-Regt. Nr.19 (Grimma) XIX Armee Korps. I have not seen another like it, either for sale or on display. The upper body of this impressive visor cap is fashioned of the highest quality grey melton wool, being constructed before the outbreak of WWI. The cap has the desirable saddle form seen on the later Nazi officer peaked caps. The upper body is piped in white, as is the lower portion of the cornflower blue cap band. Unique to visor caps of the Husaren is the central piping in both red and white. No other units sport this detail of double-piping used only on the Husaren field-grey caps. The exterior has only the slightest evidence of mothing and for a cap over 100 years old, the condition is excellent plus. The interior has no markings, and the lining shows much use. The underside of the visor is white, a characteristic of high-grade caps of this period.

Model 1880 Hessian Technical/Artillery officer's visor cap. Remarkable condition, interior shows fairly heavy wear, with the maker's mark being worn to the point of being only an outline, but still legible "Chs(?) F. Gobel, Eschwege". Also pinned to the interior lining is what appears to be a period museum tag with a name, a number, but it is unknown if the name is that of the original owner. The pin is very rusted with age and it is apparent that the tag has been there for many years. The cap is of the dark blue type as worn up to 1910, and is piped in ponceau red with a black velvet cap band. The Hessian cockade is centered on the cap band, and has a composition visor. Overall in excellent condition for an article of this age.

Today I found these two old, handmade, hand-formed hats. I think the style is called Stetson "Boss of the Plains". It has a gaucho cowboy "feel". I'm guessing they were probably from the 1800s. They are stiff. No labels.
I'm not sure what material they are made of but they seem to have fibers.
Any guesses?

I purchased this faux fur hat at an estate sale in Southern Oregon, the leather tooled band is attached and it also has a hard plastic piece attached, quilted inside and a Union label is attached. I believe this is a Men's Hat. I am looking to date it and what style would it be considered? Thanks

I am posting this that was My Dad's. He was with the Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ) for WWII. Still have it and there is his Legion Patch attached to it, Plus also have a Single Legion Patch. Any extra info welcomed.

I am Proud to be a Veteran's daughter!!

Thanks for LOOKING // LOVING !!

~ Rose ~

]]>Military and Wartime / World War Twohttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/186645-dads-rcaf-cap-and-legion-patchhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/186645-dads-rcaf-cap-and-legion-patchvisor cap of a reserve officer of the Prussian Garde du Corps or the Prussian 4th cuirassier Regimenthttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/186289-visor-cap-of-a-reserve-officer-of-the-pr
Sun, 20 Mar 2016 12:56:14 -0700

This is a visor cap of a reserve officer of the Prussian Garde du Corps or the Prussian 4th cuirassier Regiment. The body of the cap is constructed of white fine quality melton wool, and the capband and piping are ponceau (poppy) red. The Prussian reserve-officer cockade is centered in the cap band with the Reichs cockade centered on the crown. The interior is maker marked to "Fritz Knupp, Lippstadt" with the original owner's name written in the lining (appears to be " H.Runoisch, but it is written in old German Sütterlin handwriting and is difficult to decipher. If of the Gardes du Corps, the cap belonged to a member of the heavy cavalry that served as the personal body guard of the Prussian kings, and after the unification, the Kaiser. The unit was founded in 1740 by Frederick the Great. If it were 4th (Westphalian) Cuirassiers “von Driesen” the former owner was a member of a Prussian line cuirassier regiment of the Imperial German cavalry Being that officer's caps are almost never unit marked, it is impossible to determine to which regiment this visor belongs.

A visor cap of a NCO in a Nazi Panzer-Abwehr (tank destroyer) battalion in the transitional color used by the old Weimar Republic. The pink piping was used by Motor Transport troops (Kraftfahrtruppen) in the old army and carried over to the new Nazi Wehrmacht to designate this particular branch of service. The wreath and national eagle symbol are struck in zinc instead of the more common aluminum. At the time that this cap was used (1936) Germany was forbidden to have armored units in the Wehrmacht, but panzer destroyer units were permitted. Later, when Hitler scrapped the Versailles treaty, the color (rosa in German) was incorporated for use in the Panzer formations. The cap is unit marked under the sweatband "3rd Company Anti-Tank Battalion 16." This same very rare cap is pictured on Page 47 of the reference book by Tony Vickers "German Army Visor Caps 1871-1946"

This cap represents the transition from those visors worn by the Reichswehr to the coming classic Nazi Wehrmacht peaked cap. This example retains the earlier features, being constructed of a "greener" field gray cloth, with the cap band being made of the same material as the body. The Weimar Republic cockade has been replaced by the Reichs cockade in the center of the oakleaf wreath as per the order of President von Hindenburg in March, 1933. Centered on the crown of the cap is the Prussian cockade. The cap never had a chinstrap, and photos of the period depict officers and NCO's wearing these "strapless" caps. The interior is maker-marked "Herman Poetzsch". This same cap is pictured on page 48 and 49 of the reference book by Tony Vickers "German Army Visor Caps 1871-1946".

I recently aquired these 2 unusual shaped straw hats from an elderly lady. She said they were in her family for years...but she couldn't remember their origin. I have a large collection of vintage straw hats but nothing like these! The best I could come up with was that they could be African as I saw a pic of an African worker in the 1920's wearing something slightly similar. I feel like the ball on the top has some signifigance but no idea what!
Anyone have some knowledge they would care to share?? Thank you in advance~

This is a vintage Pan Am Captain's hat manufactured by the esteemed Bernard Cap Company. The hat includes the standard Pan Am globe logo which is attached at the front center of the hat. The visor includes the classic gold oak leaf wire embroidered insignia and the gold wire embroidered chin strap.

Great grandmothers hat, just want to know more about it if possible.
Thanks!!
Red velvet or wool maybe. Found it in a hat box that was marked "straw hat" so I'm not sure it was purchased in this box.
From Salisbury, North Carolina.

this cap came in a box with a camera I purchased I have been on a lot of sites I can not find any thing about it is it rare? on the adjustment tab Louisville mfg.co.louisville,ky.40201, on the logo it say DRINK COCA'COLA delicious and refreshing thanks for any help james

I found this Mobilgas gas stations attendants hat in Indiana one day out picking. I went to a guys house and in his basement was a parts store and gas station, it was just incredible. He didn't like to sell anything but I talked him out of this hat since he had a couple of them.

These are some tools that came with an industrial estate sale. The collection was hat and brim molds, brim stands etc. These two I have not been able to identify. The metal one with the glass, has a patent date of November 1926 stamped on the bottom, the glass has a rubber stopper that it fits over. No moving parts. The second one is entirely wood, there is a twist screw that tightens, in the center is a round piece that movable but fastened, on the end is a maneuverable handle with a round ball in a cupped area which turnable in all directions like a hip joint. Any information would be appreciated

This Royal Navy officer's hat differs from the usual pattern inasmuch that it has two brass buttons at the sides instead of the normal flat black cloth covered ones shown in the last photograph.
I've heard say that some Commonwealth navies used these buttons, but the hat was made in Liverpool. This makes me wonder, were these buttons added later or was it issued like this? They have the King's crown so they are of the period at least.

My dad had this beautiful hat in his "Hat Collection" and I just found it in the old homestead when our daughter moved out of the house. While it was probably too formal for Church I thought that a pix with the hat and Walking Stick would be a nice reminder of the more " formal days" of our Nations past. We came from the poor side of the tracks as my grandmother was a young widow during the depression with three sons & clothes like this were not worn in their family. Maybe not even in the entire town of Eden Texas where dad was raised as a boy.

Purchased this hat for my son now 42 when he was no more that 4 years old. As it states inside it was made in Australia and is 3 x Beaver and named Calgary. Not sure if the 53 is the size as the Stetson size chart doesn't show a size that small. Still in good condition only two marks on inside lining. The picture inside is of a cowboy and his horse.

just want info on this i bought it for $30 from a friend cause i liked it and wanted to wear it but poeple hollered at me to find out about it first so here i am it also has a tag on inside of headband with strauss & bros evansville,in with a price of $15 it's a nice felt hat and like new in original box size 7 1/4

The traditional Fulani hat is a vibrant testament to the lives and culture of a nomadic, cattle herding, people group from across sub-saharan Africa. As comfortable as it is interesting and unusual, this lively chapeau is authentic West African headwear that makes a fabulous wall hanging as well. These are especially popular with drummers. This hat displays a rich cultural significance for many African people. not only is it worn to protect the wearer from the harsh rays of the sun, but is also a symbol of wealth and status. During festivals Fulani men will wear these hats as way to attract women. Made from leather and fiber, each hat is embellished with cowrie shells and to other typical Fulani adornments. Each hat is hand-made by the people of Mali, West Africa.

From Africa Imports webpage.
Thank you to TubeAmp for uncovering the mystery

Dear experts
Hey I acquired a derby hat from family! My grandpa wore this on his wedding day in 1938. I believe it's made pre 1938 by Lyons England mfg with a registered stamp titling it the Kings hat ...not by Locke and co ....I'm in Canada and would like history on this hat ...id like to preserve it and have it on display !

Nice beaver-felt top hat; 6" tall, 9 1/2" across, 11 1/2" front to back, inside measurement/size 22". Very slight wear, slight dent in side, (see close-up photo in middle). Inside is paper or parchment lined; in crown is printed, 'Latest Style', 'Special Manufactor', along with lion and unicorn logo with mottos: "Dieu et Mon Droit", along with 'Honi soit qui mal y pense', translation, "God and my Right", "Spurned be the one who evil thinks". Mottos of the Order of the Garter. Could this mean this is English made? A very nice hat, possibly turn of the century? Thank you! Monica Alexander

Been trying to see what this straw hat is called, has wire to hold the piece in front, not sure what it is for, any ideas ?
Picked up a few old hats today.

Thank You

]]>Hatshttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/169816-antique-ladys-hat-from-new-yorkhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/169816-antique-ladys-hat-from-new-yorkImperial German schirmmütze of an officer of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimarhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/167620-imperial-german-schirmmtze-of-an-offic
Sat, 05 Sep 2015 14:42:04 -0700

Imperial German schirmmütze of an officer of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar. The cap band and piping of this piece are carmine red (karmesinrot), not the poppy (ponceau) red presented by line infantry, jäger battalions and machine gun detachments. This service color was used by officers of the War Ministry, General staff and Pharmacists, and there is no way (that I know) to determine to which of these units that the original owner of this visor cap was attached. The dunkleblau (dark blue) body of the cap is virtually perfect, with no moth tracts of any description. The interior watered silk lining shows some wear as does the composition brown sweatband. There is an ink stamp in the lining that is probably the maker name of the cap but it is illegible. The Reich’s cockade is centered at the upper blue body of the cap, and the distinctive gold and green cockade of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar (used only by the 5th Thuringen Infantry Regiment No. 94) is centered in the crimson cap band above the black composition peak.

Both pieces were found in the yard of a 1900 year old home, but in different areas. Both pieces say Madge Evans Hats for Little Ladies, but reversed like a stamp or something. I've looked and can't find anything besides who she was and how her name got used. Any idea on what these were from or value? All help appreciated.
**Someone just suggested newspaper ad printing plate from 1900-1920?**
The bottom sectIon was my first real metal detecting find so I think it's pretty awesome regardless. ?
Thanks

Hat is almost perfectly round on the top at just over 7" round and about 3" high. Fabic on top appears to be wool with the beak being leather. Color is black. Band on the bottom is gold. Inside is the Henderson & Co. Band and Military Clothiers at the N.E Corner of 11th and Race st. Philadelphia. The 2 buttons on the sides appear to have an eagle on them with some sort of crest on the eagle. There is also a plastic cover which fits over the round part of the hat. Perhaps for inclement weather which makes we wonder if it is a BAND hat. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Pre-1897 Prussian Reserve Artillery officer’s visor cap.(this example was in use prior to 1897, as evidenced by its single Prussian state's reserve officer’s kokarde.--The Reich’s kokarde was not introduced until 1897]. The cap body is the classic dark-blue melton wool with a wide black velvet band that measures 1 ¾." Two thin red piping bands appear above and below the black band. A thicker white trim band indicating active reserve status encircles the cap’s top. The cap features a black visor with a cross-hatched brown underside. The overall exterior condition is quite good, with only scattered signs of moth tracking and no full-blown moth nips. Inside the cap is a brown leather sweatband that shows some wear. The brown oil cloth liner displays the elaborate manufacturer’s or shop’s name where the cap was purchased: Johannes Schmidt (located in Neuhaldsleben). The name is embossed in silver beneath a collage of cannons, banners, and associated martial symbols. This collage’s center features a crisp likeness of Kaiser Wilhelm II. This small bit of information helps us date the cap from between 1888 and 1897. Overall, the cap is in fine condition.

Rare Imperial German officer’s schirmmütze (visor cap) of the Prussian Versuchskompanie (Motorized) Later organized as the Prussian Kraftfahr Battalion (Motorized/Transport troops), a part of the Garde Corps. The Versuchskompanie were "test Companies" and any and all insignia and uniforms of these units are very rare. This cap is an early version (early 1900’s) of the Imperial German visor, with the low profile and stubby peak. The Kraftfahr battalion was originally an experimental unit as mentioned, because at that point in history the future and usage of motor vehicles in combat was uncertain at best. When the General Staff saw the potential, a single battalion was organized and fitted with their own uniforms. Pictured with this schirmmütze is the ultra-rare Oberleutnant shoulderbard of the Versuchskompanie (Motorized), This example is the first officer version that I have seen. (It is useful to know that an Imperial German regiment was composed of 3 battalions, and one battalion consisted of 4 companies (unless a machine gun company was assigned to the battalion.) totaling approximately 1000 men with a major in command, assisted by four captains and 12 lieutenants. A fifth captain was adjutant to the battalion commander. So we have but approximately 18 officers serving in a battalion which illustrates the relative rarity of this type of visor cap. Adding to that rarity is that in 1910, the order changing the uniforms to field grey gives a five to seven year period in which this type was produced. The body of the cap is constructed of fine melton wool in black, with a black velvet cap band, on which is centered the cockade of Prussia. Above this state cockade the Reich’s cockade is mounted. (Fire police used a similar visor, but it was not piped on the lower portion of the cap band and usually displayed only the state cockade.) The interior is a blue oilcloth with a prominent maker mark “Che. F. Göbel, Eschwege”. The owner;s initials (partially) are fixed to the liner below the maker mark. The sweatband is brown kidskin, the visor, or “peak” has the cross-hatched pattern on the underside. If the visor did not have crazing from age the cap would be in what some collectors call “stone mint” condition. These units were expanded after 1914, and as the war wore on, eventually morphed into the early armored and reconnaissance units, (the precursors of Hitler’s infamous Panzer divisions). Leather versions of this visor cap exist, which were worn as a rule by enlisted and non-commissioned officers. Leather versions for officers may exist but I personally have never seen such an example.

Additional info on this battalion:

Before the war the Kraftfahrtruppen were but a small part of the army’s communication troops, consisting of a single mechanical transport battalion (Kraftfahr-Bataillon) of 21 officers (including 3 medical officers and paymasters, and 608 other ranks on 1 October 1913. A Saxon detachment of 3 officers and 73 other ranks and a Württemberg detachment of 2 officers and 36 other ranks served with the Berlin-based Kraftfahr-Bataillon, making a grand total of 26 officers and 717 other ranks. No Bavarian troops were included in the battalion (Bavaria had a single company of Kraftfahr troops).
The battalion’s primary function was to train drivers for the wider army, and on mobilization most of its personnel were dispersed to fill posts in the field army’s motorized columns or (supply) trains. Prior to 1914 and until the end of 1916, overall responsibility for the professional standards and administrative control of the Kraftfar-Bataillon rested with the inspector of military aircraft and mechanical transport services.
In December 1916 the Kraftfahrtruppen were separated from the air service and became a support service in their own right, being overseen by an inspectorate of mechanical transport services (Inspektion des Kraftfahrwesens) under the overall control of the inspector general of military communications.

Excerpted from “The Kaiser’s Army: The German Army in World War One, by David Stone, “Supporting Arms and Services, page 327.

]]>Military and Wartime / World War Onehttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/159797-imperial-german-officers-schirmmtzehttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/159797-imperial-german-officers-schirmmtzePrussian visor cap of a high official of the Prussian State Railwayhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/159796-prussian-visor-cap-of-a-high-official-of
Sun, 07 Jun 2015 12:41:51 -0700

Prussian visor cap (circa 1890) of a high official of the Prussian State Railways. Highest grade blue melton wool top with red piping, and black velvet capband. The state railways symbol, the fire-gilded crowned winged wheel is mounted above the Prussian state cockade. The interior is lined with watered white silk, with a kidskin sweatband that appears that it might have originally been white but has darkened with age and wear. The original owne's initials "W O L" are pressed into the sweatband. The black composition visor’s underside is white. The overall quality of this visor cap is right up there with similar caps that I have seen attributed to generals or royalty. There is not a single trace of moth damage.

]]>Military and Wartime / World War Onehttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/159796-prussian-visor-cap-of-a-high-official-ofhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/159796-prussian-visor-cap-of-a-high-official-ofSchirmmütze of the Imperial German Garde Schützen Battalionhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/159792-schirmmtze-of-the-imperial-german-gard
Sun, 07 Jun 2015 12:14:09 -0700

Visor cap (schirmmütze) of a senior NCO serving in the Imperial German Garde Schützen Battalion. This elite unit, was raised in 1826, and was garrisoned in Berlin. Sometimes referred to as Fusiliers, the members of this battalion were all crack shots, supplied with the finest weapons and equipment available at the time. When mobilized in 1914 this unit was a part of the 3rd Guards Infantry Division. This example is constructed of officer quality materials throughout. The fine wool green crown is marred by two moth nips, but these do not detract significantly from the visor cap’s appearance. The cap band is constructed of quality black velvet, with ponceau (Poppy) red piping. A third moth bite Is present on the lower outer rim of the cap. The sweatband appears to be an ersatz leather. The lining is reddish-brown silk or a similar material The composition visor shows age and some crazing from improper storage. The Reich’s and Prussian state cockade are in the enlisted/NCO variety. The white enamel has turned yellow with age. Overall a rare cap in very good condition.

Wooden hat blocks from the late 1920's.
Back when hats were like iPods are today..OK- not even iPods any longer.
Everything is going on one device these days. I'm an old iPod Classic holdout. I don't have room for 6,000+ songs & movies on my phone..

Anyway- These were for reshaping hats after they were cleaned back in the hat days of old & they have different sizes stamped into the rims & the blocks.
These particular ones are stamped Eastern Woolen Co. Omaha Neb. and the rims have 1928 stamped on the edges as well.
I also included a photo of the hat stretcher that I happen to have with this set. These were all in my parent's old dry cleaners. Before they had it, there were hats being cleaned there.

They display well & look like a wood hat when hung together on the wall.
I have 4 nice complete sets & 2 extra rims that have cracks.
Fun conversation pieces..

This feldgrau (field gray) visor cap was introduced in 1910 to replace the dunkelblau (dark blue) and other brightly colored caps and uniforms worn by the Imperial German army. This particular example was once worn by an officer of either Pioniers (engineers), field and foot artillery, Eisenbahn, (railroad protection and construction units) Flieger (flight), Luftschiffer (balloon and zeppelin units), Train (supply) or Telegraphen (telegraph) regiments. This is determined by the black ribbed silk cap band and poppy red piping of the cap. Note that the state cockade for Baden has the Landwehr (reserve) cross in the center. The rough wool exterior of this visor cap indicates that it was likely constructed after 1917 when supplies of quality wool had been severely restricted as a result of the Allied blockade. The interior is high quality patterned light olive green silk, a marked contrast from the exterior. The leather sweatband is in excellent condition and is a dark olive green. There is an ink stamp inside that may have had the owner’s name, but it has been marked out with only “Stuttgart” being legible. The black composition visor underside is also olive green. The crown’s shape is maintained with an internal grommet that was inserted prior to the application of the lining. This has kept the visor cap’s original profile over the years, a rarity because most are lacking a grommet or it has been broken. Consequently many caps of this period are badly misshapen. There are a few minor moth bites present, but nothing of consequence. The piping is unusual, being constructed of tightly wrapped cord rather than the normal single piece trim. The field gray versions of visor caps of this era are in much higher demand than their brightly colored predecessors, so I was happy to find this nice example in Amsterdam at a reasonable price.

Model 1897 Prussian Leib-Garde Hussar visor cap of a one year volunteer, or perhaps an oberfeldwebel. The cap is of superior officer quality throughout, the crown is of the highest quality melton wool, with yellow piping and a dark blue cap band. There is not a single moth track or hole in this 100 plus year old visor cap. The blue silk interior shows some wear and the leather sweatband has seen better days. If it were fitted with officer’s cockades it would be indistinguishable from the officer version. You won’t see many of these in any condition. This elite unit was raised in February of 1815, and was garrisoned in Potsdam. The colonel in chief of this unit was the Kaiser himself.
I have included a color drawing of the full uniform in which the you see the subject wearing the fur busby, but for walking out occasions, this poppy red cap was worn, its body matches the poppy red dolman (jacket) and the blue cap band matches the loose-hanging blue pelisse (over-jacket). The cap’s yellow piping matches the jacket(s) trim. All of this splendor turned to field-grey with the coming war, and the hussars were used as dismounted infantry as the conflict progressed.
The hussars played a prominent role as cavalry in the Napoleonic Wars (1796–1815). As light cavalrymen mounted on fast horses, they would be used to fight skirmish battles and for scouting. Most of the great European powers raised hussar regiments. The armies of France, Austria, Prussia, and Russia had included hussar regiments since the mid-18th century.
Hussars had a reputation for being the dashing, if unruly, adventurers of the army. The traditional image of the hussar is of a reckless, hard-drinking, hard-swearing, womanizing, moustachioed swashbuckler. French General LaSalle, an archetypal showoff hussar officer, epitomized this attitude by his remarks, among which the most famous is: "Any hussar who is not dead by the age of thirty is a blackguard.” He died, shot between the eyes at the Battle of Wagram at the age of 34.
On the eve of World War I, there were still hussar regiments in the British (including Canadian), French, Spanish, German, Russian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Romanian and Austro-Hungarian armies. (Winston Churchill served in the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars in the late 19th Century.) In most respects, they had now become regular light cavalry, recruited solely from their own countries and trained and equipped along the same lines as other classes of cavalry. But Hussars were still notable for their colourful and elaborate parade uniforms,
After horse cavalry became obsolete, some British hussar formations were converted to armoured units, though retaining their traditional titles. Hussar regiments still exist today and horses are sometimes used for ceremonial purposes in the British Army (although amalgamations have reduced their number to only two),

A textbook example of a Model 1867-1910 Prussian infantry officer’s visor cap ( schirmmütze). This particular cap with the Prussian blue body and ponceau (poppy) red cap band and piping was worn by officers of all garde and line infantry, fusilier and grenadier regiments with differing cockades according to the kingdom or duchy. The Reich’s cockade was added to the caps in 1897. The exterior of this exceptional example is almost flawless with not a single moth hole or track to be found. Since the cap is over 100 years old and is constructed of fine melton wool, this is remarkable. Not so for the interior, which shows heavy field use. The sweatband has hardened with age and has split from the cap body in several areas. Old period repairs have failed to hold the leather to the cap body. The liner is intact but shows much use. No maker mark is present, only an ink stamp indicating ‘Company C’. In 1910 the field grey uniform was introduced and the blue uniform along with the blue topped visor caps was phased out.

]]>Military and Wartime / World War Onehttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/157080-textbook-example-of-a-prussian-infantryhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/157080-textbook-example-of-a-prussian-infantryU.S. NAVAL or COAST GUARD Insignia- Which and From Wherehttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/156603-u-s-naval-or-coast-guard-insignia-whic
Wed, 29 Apr 2015 13:14:39 -0700

I searched High and Low in US Military & Naval internet sites and the Lord knows there's a lot out there but I wasn't able to find this particular insignia or pin anywhere. I was told that the pin could refer to a Hawaii posting (palm trees) but no one recognized it. The tiny Anchor on top is not common in Navy Insignias. There are gold US buttons on the sides of the hat so it is definitely American and the Braiding is top quality. Anyone recognize this Insignia? Thanks everyone. RER(BOB)
Enigma solved...see frisco's links below.

A pre-WWI schirmmütze (visor cap) of an unteroffizier or feldwebel of a Prussian Jäger-Battalion. The cap is remarkably well-preserved being that this model was produced between 1897 and 1910. The Prussian and Reich’s other rank’s cockades are secured to the red cap band and green crown. The body is made from officer quality melton wool and has a single solitary small moth hole. The black peak has many tiny age cracks which attest to the age of the piece. The well-worn interior silk lining has what appears to be the original owner’s name written in ink along with what may be the unit to which he was assigned, but unfortunately it is illegible. The Jäger were elite units composed of specially chosen crack shots. These units were equipped with rifles rather than muskets during the Napoleonic Wars. They were positioned at the army’s head to serve as skirmishers who targeted officers and NCO’s. Their ability to "pick off" those leaders often diminished the opposition’s command and control over their men. It was a great honor to be selected for such a prestigious posting to a Jäger-Battalion. The Imperial German army had one Garde Jäger Battalion, and 12 Line Jäger Battalions. In May 1915, the German Army began joining the Jäger battalions to form Jäger regiments, and in late 1917, the Deutsche Jäger-Division was formed.

Won an estate auction lot containing a lot of historical items. The matriarch was a collector, attended auctions (we've found some of her auction catalogs from 1908) and we have found items 1800's - 1960 that we can identify (so far).
This was in a sealed box packed and inventoried by a moving company. In the contents list it says "Bonnet of Ann Hathaway." I can't find any information on that individual (all I get is the current actress Anne Hathaway). We have no idea. If it has potential historical or monetary value we don't want to toss it. Any info you could provide would be so helpful as we have no point of reference on fabric collecting.

]]>Hats / Victorian and Edwardian Hatshttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/156065-bonnet-found-need-helphttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/156065-bonnet-found-need-helpAn officer’s visor cap of the German Empire for a member of the Royal Saxon Karabinier Regimenthttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/156064-an-officers-visor-cap-of-the-german-e
Thu, 23 Apr 2015 14:38:38 -0700

An officer’s schirmmütze (visor cap) of the German Empire for a member of the Royal Saxon Karabinier Regiment, an elite unit of heavy cavalry armed with carbines. This unit was also known for the imposing lion-topped parade helmet that they shared with the Garde Reiter Regiment. This piece has a dark blue high quality melton cloth upper body, with genuine black velvet adorning the cap band. The Saxon green and white cockade is centered on the band with the red-black-white Reich's cockade above it on the cap body. White piping accentuates the crown and cap band border. There is a single tiny moth hole on the upper cap body, and other than that it is in beautiful condition for an object made between 1897 and 1910. The black leather peak shows the typical spidering from age but is firmly attached to the body. The interior is lined with russet colored silk stamped with a well-known maker mark of Carl Schweisfurth, of the town of Siegen. This maker is seen on caps of the Third Reich era and the firm is known for the quality of the headgear that they produced. The initials ‘WF” are penned below the trademark. This regiment was garrisoned in Borna, the capital of the Leipzig district in Saxony. The unit saw action in the Baltics and Finland during WWI. Very few of this unit’s visor caps have survived in this condition.

Won an estate auction lot containing a lot of historical items. The matriarch was a collector, attended auctions (we've found some of her auction catalogs from 1908) and we have found items 1800's - 1960 that we can identify (so far).
This was in a sealed box packed and inventoried by a moving company. In the contents list it says "Bonnet of Ann Hathaway." I can't find any information on that individual (all I get is the current actress Anne Hathaway). We have no idea. If it has potential historical or monetary value we don't want to toss it. Any info you could provide would be so helpful as we have no point of reference on fabric collecting.

Now this Bergheim Beer Can Knit Hat isn’t something you see everyday! This particular one is made out of cans from the Bergheim Brewing Company located in Reading, PA. Hats like these were popular back in the 1970’s; they were homemade from empty beer cans that were cut out and applied into the knitting of a hat. I’ve seen other variations of these hats before that use different beer cans; most are in the “bucket hat” style like this one although I have seen some with a small brim on the front kind of like a baseball cap. Locally I know of a few collectors that have the Reading Premium Beer version and one collector with a Sunshine Beer version.

They are god awfully ugly and gaudy but still pretty cool. One thing’s for sure, my wife hates this thing! So I’m sure I’ll be wearing this to a few future beer shows.

Here is an original pre-1910 dunkel-brau (dark blue) Duchy of Braunschweig 92nd Infantry Regiment NCO's visor cap (schirmmütze). This regiment was raised in 1809 during the Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal against Napoleon. The regiment suffered extensive casualties during the campaign and was returned home for reorganization, its service in the Napoleonic wars was essentially over. The regiment played only a minor role in the battle of Waterloo with some members being used as replacements. Just the 3rd battalion was entitled to wear the "Totenkopf" traditions badge between the state and Reichs cockade until 1912. The type skull and crossbones on this schirmutze is the style worn by enlisted and non-commissioned officers. The well-worn oil cloth interior is marked with the logo of a military shop located in Neustrelitz. Some moth tracks on the crown and piping keep this example from being excellent but it is still a fine ORIGINAL example of a very elusive visor cap.

This is a 1999 issue "Marlboro" cap with the Marlboro Sun & Moon emblem embroidered on the front - The hat is 100% cotton with an adjustable brown leather sizing strap with nickel-plated buckle - never worn
- Made in Philippine / RN# 74566

I call this a "flying-saucer" hat and I found it in a local shop. What decade is this from? It has a little art-deco flair and that is probably why I brought the silly thing home in the first place! Could be worn at a "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" convention...

This would not fit my Vintage 20s mannequin head, so I had to use a later model. I do not know what kind of material that this hat is made from but it is very soft. I found it at a flea market and thought that it was interesting. I cannot pass up anything from this time period regardless of what it is!!!

Hi
Everyone.
I am shopping last 2 week ago at GW,, when i see this nice 1930-40 woman hat, it's not take long for me to think about somebody will love to add this to her collection, not big tag price for a good CW friend anyway, so i just go ahead and buy it, now the tricky part it's for delevry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, we can work something for sure, i guess.
Inside was mark ""Ostrich,made in Italy"".

So have a look,,,,, you already know about the fact then i buy this for you, now do you like it ??

This hat looks like it has never been worn. Not a stitch out of place. The netting inside is something I've never seen and does not feel like polyester or any other man made fiber. It's very stiff. The material, to me, feels like silk but there isn't a tag saying what the hat is made of. This leads me to believe it was made before it was mandatory to do so. I know this designer was around in the '50s to '70s. The color is ombré pink. It's just the cutest thing. Does anyone have any more info!

Here is the latest addition to my antique top hat collection. It's difficult to find these in really nice condition. But, this one made the cut. Not only is the leather case complete (minus the key) and intact, but the top hat shows hardly any wear and/or scuffs whatsoever!

The best part about this one is that the gentleman who once owned this has written his name on the top of the leather case. His name is W.H. Ostenberg, of Omaha. At the turn of the 20th century, when this hat was made, there just happened to be a W.H. "Hod" Ostenberg in Omaha, NE. Mr. Ostenberg, along with his Grandfather and Uncle, opened a bank in Omaha called Scottsbluff National Bank in 1909.

Being that there was a W.H. Ostenberg in Omaha at the time, I'd like to believe that this hat was once owned and worn by this particular Mr. "Hod" Ostenberg himself. Wouldn't that be grand!

This was brought back from Asia for my children, as something they might use for dressing up. It has never been worn. I have tried to find out where exactly it came from and what it is called, but no joy so far. Can anyone tell me what type of hat it is and from which country did it come?

Tag inside says B. Altman Made In France. Wow! What style they had back then! I wish that I had a time machine! I was told that this came from an auction in California. I like to imagine Louise Brooks wearing this....

The latest addition to my top hat and trunk collection. Here is a antique Colbert beaver silk top hat and leather trunk. It was made by Colbert expressly for the Marshall-Field & Co. store in Chicago. Marshall-Field & Co. was an upscale department store that was founded in Chicago in 1852. They were bought out by Macy's, I believe in 2005, and the last Marshall-Field store was closed in 2006.

The trunk is made of leather and in very good condition for it's age. The initials on the side of the hat trunk (CHC) are also the same initials inside of the top hat. The beaver silk top hat is also in very good condition, given it's age. For those of you wondering, the velvet pillow is a hat polishing pillow. Most did not survive, so it's very rare to find the complete original set with trunk, hat and hat polishing pillow. The hat polishing pillow also has the Marshall-Field & Co. logo on it.

I'm not quite sure of the age of this one, but, judging by the type of handle and latch used, I'm going to place this around 1900-1910. The trunk has a serial number stamped into the leather on the back that reads 1003. This is the first top hat trunk that I've ever seen a serial number stamped on.

Thanks for looking!!
Scott

]]>Hats / Top Hatshttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/144978-marshall-field-and-co-top-hat-case-and-behttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/144978-marshall-field-and-co-top-hat-case-and-beNeed help finding out what kind of fur is this and who made it !!!http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/144719-need-help-finding-out-what-kind-of-fur-i
Sun, 04 Jan 2015 19:08:25 -0800

vintage fur hat , 1972r, very soft and long hair . i think its beautiful . i need more info on it . thank you .

Here is my antique Knox Hat Company silk top hat and top hat trunk. I bought this hat trunk for $20. It was in pretty bad condition though. I had to reattach some of the leather, that had came loose, and give it a really good cleaning with glycerin saddle soap (twice!!).
The brass polished up nicely. The carry handle is broken on one end (usually completely missing) and the brass buckles, on the front, are detached. But, I still have one of the buckles. On the plus side, it has a key, which is most always missing.
I really liked this one because it has the initial "T" on the front, right below the lock. And since my last name is Thompson, the "T" just seemed fitting!
The Knox top hat is in very nice condition, with just a small amount of wear. Is it made of beaver silk? Maybe not. In the early 1900's on, beaver pelts were very expensive, so some hat companies started mixing rabbit and ermine fur with the beaver fur. I'm guessing that's what was done on this one.
I'm guessing this one is from the early 1900's to 1930.
Thanks for looking!
Scott

I just acquired this beautiful Sinclair & Co. of London beaver silk top hat and leather covered top hat trunk. The trunk is in really nice condition. You just rarely see one with the handle and lid holder strap still intact. But this one has all of those and I jumped at the opportunity to buy it.

The beaver silk top hat is in near mint condition. I did have to clean the trunk, condition the leather, polish the brass as well as brush and polish the top hat.

I know nothing about this top hat and trunk as I have been unsuccessful at finding anything related to Sinclair & Co. of London on the internet. Going by the style of the top hat and the hat trunk itself, I do believe this would have been made in London around the late 1800's.
If anyone has any information on this, in regards to how old it is and anything about Sinclair & Co., I truly would appreciate it very much!

I just acquired this bowler derby hat. I have not seen one like this one. It has vent holes in the sides. It's made by Wingert & Haas (successors to H.L. Boas) of Lancaster, PA. As you can see, the hat is in really nice condition for it's age.

I've researched but can only find an advertisement for Wingert & Haas in a January 12, 1906 issue if the Lititz (PA) Record Newspaper.

Does anyone on CW have any further information on this hat and the manufacturer? I'd love to know something more about it and how old it is.
Thanks for the Help!
Scott

Thought I would post this for *Manikin* since I am aware that she has family roots in Saskatchewan that lived around a very small Town on Bounty. Bounty is located in the FERTILE VALLEY R.M. ( means Rural Municipality). Thus this Small town Fair was known as Fertile Valley Fair (aka Bounty Fair). The Agricultural Fair had 4H of showing Cattle, and horses. There was a Fair book where you could also enter in your Baking, sewing, knitting, wood working items, pies, flowers, crop samples to be Judged. It was your basic small town fair that would pull in the community from miles around. The town of Bounty only had about a population of about 175 people back then -- but more than 4000 people would attend the fair for the only ONE day it was on!!

This is an old Beanie Cap (hat) from back then. I think from around the 1970's era as people who were working (helping) with things, or directing traffic -- would wear these. Found this in some old things here. Guess kinda an old way of advertising too...?

This is a 1998 issue "Marlboro" cap with the Marlboro Unlimited emblem embroidered on the front (Ride It / Run It / Climb It) - The hat is 100% denim cotton with an adjustable sizing strap and snap button closure.
Main hat body is beige color, top button and visor a dark gray color.
The embroidered emblem contains black, white, and red threading.

Another one of my leather top hat cases. I actually can't remember where I acquired this one from. But, I do know I didn't have to pay much for it. This one is made by Collins & Fairbanks of Boston. The gentleman's initials "HDG" are on the side of the case as well as inside the hat. The hat is not in very good condition (moths may have attacked it at one time or another). But, I thought it was still a really cool item. Again, these are not my area of expertise. So, if anyone has any information on the age or origin, I'd truly appreciate it. I'm open to anyone's mystery solving here.

I picked this Hillgate & Co. leather top hat case, complete with the original top hat, a few years back. I was just amazed at the remarkable condition that this set is in.

The top hat and case were both made in London, England. The set dates back to the late 1800's and, as you can see, there is still part a travel decal from Paris on the top of the case. I cleaned and conditioned the leather case and cleaned and polished the fur felt hat.

While cleaning the case, I found the original key to the case. Though very rusted, I carefully cleaned the key with steel wool and gave it a try. The key and lock work beautifully!!

not sure bout vintage ,.its unlined but nice n soft nearly floppy but still somewhat fedora-y probably not that expensive but still probably a 50 buck hat,..no flaws i can find and nice n comfy on the noggin

classic hat like Bob n Bing wore way back when very good shaope for as old as it is,..needs the sweatband replaced and has a lil crease in the crown im trying to steam better but for 7 bucks its soo COOL hehehh

snagged at the local thrift shop for 6 bucks,..NOT a cheap looking hat very dense fur felt it claims,..nice warm well shaped hat comfortable as heck,..from comparign it to some vintage stetsons,.seems to hold up by how well it seeems to be made,..for the price i snagged it for its a daily wearer ,..helps cover the dang shiny spot on the top o my cabeza

Hello, these are vintage hat stands. The taller 2 are a foot and a half and are painted. The other is velvet and tattered, but I still like it. These are kind of difficult for me to find. I assume these are 1930's or 1940's? Thanks for looking!

cool variation on the cool felt hat from the 40s,..not the recent reissue of it this is OLD,..7.50 at savers,..no box but nearly perfect shape,..looks cool and isnt the same brown fedora indy wears,.even tho i love my indy hat! not sure what royal Stetson means but there ya go!

in REALY good shape ,.another thrift shop find,.8 bucks in the Halloween section and im thinking its from the 30s or 40s,..kind of a goofy look but who knows i might join a barbershop quartet and now ive got the hat

This is a 1997 issue "Marlboro" cap with the Marlboro Compass emblem embroidered on the front. - The hat is 100% cotton with an adjustable sizing strap and velcro closure. The embroidered emblem contains black, silver, and red threading - never worn / Made in Philippine / RN# 74566

This is a 1993 issue "Marlboro" cap with the Marlboro Unlimited Mountains embroidered emblem on the front. - The hat is 100% cotton with an adjustable sizing strap and brass buckle closure. The embroidered emblem contains five different colors of thread - red, yellow, silver, teal, and blue - never worn / Made in China / RN# 94397

My uncle had been working in the city of Melbourne a couple years back and found this hat, he had brought it home to me and it has been collecting dust since...does anybody what what this hat could be worth?

Great new acquisition from "the forgotten service." Wicker construction Bancroft hat. Bullion eagle and wreath with enamel flag of the American President Line. The APL was an agent of the War Shipping Administration. This hat belonged to an officer, lieutenant commander and lower ranks, likely operating a Victory or Liberty ship during WWII. Nice tribute to the sailors of the US Maritime Service who braved the U Boats to bring troops and supplies for the war effort.

This is a 1989 issue "Marlboro" cap with the smoking cigarette embroidered emblem on the front. - The hat is 15% wool, 85% acrylic with an adjustable sizing strap and brass closure. The embroidered emblem contains five different colors of thread - red, grey, yellow, white, and blue
- never worn / Made in Sri Lanka

Superb full color officers quality cap of the Prussian Garde Jäger Battalion, attached to the Garde Korps in Potsdam, Berlin . Jäger green crown with bright red piping, Red cap band piped top of the band in matching red. Light grey colour leather sweat band with a blue cloth ( looks like heavy sateen) lining to inner crown. Has both original OR's / NCO's Reich and Prussian state roundels to the front. This is a superb full color cap.. has its size ( 55 ) stamped into crown. Officer quality melton wool throughout Officers quality kidskin sweatband. This cap belonged to a financially well-off reservist, probably a one year volunteers cap. Has some light moth tracking to and one hole to the rear right hand side. but does not detract from display.. .. Rare in its original cap box. from maker H. Ahlers, Potsdam. Overall in very exceptional condition.
Jäger-Battalions were elite units composed of specially chosen crack shots. They were equipped with rifles rather than muskets during the Napoleonic Wars. They were positioned at the army’s head to serve as skirmishers who targeted officers and NCO’s. Their ability to "pick off" those leaders often diminished the opposition’s command and control over their men. It was a great honor to be selected for such a prestigious posting to a Jäger-Battalion. The Imperial German army had just one Garde Jäger Battalion, and 12 Line Jager Battalions. In May 1915, the German Army began joining the Jäger battalions to form Jäger regiments, and in late 1917, the Deutsche Jäger-Division was formed.

I just bought this unusual linen clad hat box at a Brooklyn NYC estate.
Lock reads "GO" and there's a copper plaque that reads "Boite Chapeaux" and "systeme" and some other words I can't make out (yet).

Upon an internet search, all I could find were similar hat boxes by Louis Vuitton!

Mine doesn't seem to have the LV monogram on any surfaces, but........

Can anyone advise me?
Was "GO" a hardware maker for Louis Vuitton?
Were all his trunks and chests monogrammed?
Help, please!

Here I have my Father's last guitar.
Its a two-tone black and red Tempo, Japan backstamp.
I do not know how old it is (but wish I did), it's been in my family for at least the past 30 years (that I know of). Maybe longer.
I keep it in this locked wall display cabinet, along with his last Bible. Which his mother had personalized for him as a gift. As well as his leather Harley Davidson hat and his ring.
The "Boston" guitar pic on the neck of the guitar, was given to my son at the last concert they performed at Aberdeen proving grounds.
This guitar means the world to me, I would really like to find out more about it. Especially how to safely clean it... other than just a wet cloth.
Thanks for looking... I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Here I have a vintage leather Harley Davidson Cycles Beret captains hat.
This hat belonged to my father. Another one of his treasures he allowed my to keep on display in my room :)
I was not allow to wear it though.
My dad said a lady wears lace not leather.
He believed women should wear long lacey gowns, have long natural hair and long nails, no makeup. LoL
Ok, back to the hat... it was made by the Colorado Leather Goods in Colorado springs.
It's stamped PC1 Harley
It's been in my family for at least 30 years.
I actually emailed the company and asked for information about it. I'm really hoping they'll be kind enough to reply. Fingers crossed. I would love to know the actual age, type of leather, etc.

Friends,
Thank you for your interest in our products.
We definitely made the cap in question. It has probably been close to 30 years since we made those. We sold our manufacturing business about 18 years ago; now we sell Raw Materials.
Go to:
http://www.coloradoleathergoods.com/

If you have any specific questions, we would be happy to try and answer those.
We'll look forward to hearing from you.
COLORADO LEATHER GOODS

It's Super Bowl Sunday, this is an act of random. I do stuff like that when I'm sober....random stuff that is! But this cap is still unworn since 1998 & spends most of the years hanging on a hat hook. It's cool, but sitting on the beach in San Diego, CA listening to the ocean is better! =^'

It’s a Model 1872 style forage cap, which replaced the old civil war forage caps and was in turn replaced by the 1895 forage cap. I obtained this cap back in the Stone Age, before the internet when we used to get auction catalogues and bid on items via actual mail! And we LIKED it that way! (Using my cantankerous old man voice).

The crossed swords in the first picture is just laid there for display. I wouldn’t want to poke a hole in this old cap for insignia, and I find no evidence of this cap ever having insignia. The crown will collapse down to flatten the cap for storage. The bill is unbound leather and the side buttons are the Indian Wars era Federal Eagle with US Shield. The chin strap is purely ornamental. The interior retains its lining, and bears the manufacturer’s mark of “A.JUS.JOHNSON CO” “CHELSEA,MASS”.

My new favorite hat. It has a wicker frame, khaki vinyl cover, one set of eggs (O4 and 5), and a lovely bullion stitched emblem. Made by Art Caps, New York. Public Health Service caps are rare, and this example has a lot of character.

Another nice find. I originally thought it was a naval aviator's hat because it has a greenish color. However, when compared to other examples, it became clear that it was actually an example of the service dress gray. Although the authorization was for slate gray, the gray uniform, authorized from 1943-1949, showed a lot of variation in color, and a greenish tint was common. Occasionally you will see the more greenish tinted gray referred to as "Halsey gray."

The gray uniform was introduced by then-Chief of Naval Operations Ernest King, who thought khaki was more appropriate to land forces.

The "Aviator's working green" was not only a darker, forest green, but also was a winter hat, and made of 100% wool. This cover is certified navy twill (CNT,) marking it as the service gray rather than the working green cover.

Sold by The Emporium, a San Francisco department store. There is no ID tag, but the original Emporium sales sticker is still inside the brim and shows the original price as $15.

Purchased at auction, I believe this is a model 1895 "pillbox" forage cap of the kind used during the Indian wars and the Spanish American war. the device on the front has crossed Crag rifles. The frame is wicker with a strong leather reinforcement. Strap and buttons are missing. Leather is still attached inside. I could find no markings. This is older than I usually collect. I would appreciate everyone's opinions whether I have identified it correctly.

]]>Military and Wartime / Military Hats and Capshttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/108419-m1895-federal-service-forage-caphttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/108419-m1895-federal-service-forage-capHow much do you think this is worth?http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/107950-how-much-do-you-think-this-is-worth
Wed, 04 Dec 2013 02:55:59 -0800

So I dont really know much about this hat al j know is thats its a Stetson, and I was wondering if anybody could tell me what they know. All I know is that is was my great grandpas an I just want to see how much anyone thinks it may be. No I'm not selling it I'm just interested.

Here is a small selection of hats which I just love making. I have made the two 1920's reproduction vintage cloche hats from beautiful brocade furnishing fabrics and decorated them with handmade rosettes and ostrich feathers. I source my fabrics from all over the place and the braiding used on these two were bought on a recent holiday to Cyprus. The two 1920's styles are made from felt. Hope you like them

I am always interested to see how people display their collections. I have many of my hats on display in my home office, where they proudly show when I am doing meetings with a web cam. I prefer the type of wall mount that supports the whole hat from underneath, not just pushing them in the middle. The window is covered, so they don't get enough light in here to fade. I try to use a hat-jack for everything that isn't on a hanger.

The hats are mostly military, with a few police hats and a couple of masonic ones. I have hats from the 1920s to modern and from quite a few countries. Most are real, but I have a few reproductions.

Included in these pictures are hats for cadets from the US military academies, all seven US uniformed services and the three US uniformed auxiliaries. I have several Soviet bloc hats from the Cold War era, hats from Mexico, Denmark, Yugoslavia, Argentina, Italy, Canada, Australia, Britain and China. The slouch hat is from the Korean war.

If you see anything interesting let me know and I'll post a picture separately.

According to my Mom, my Grandfather bought this Stetson used in 1940. It went from his Stetson collection to my Father's Stetson collection, and is now in mine. It has great sentimental value for me. I think it might be oilcloth on the liner, which would put it in a very limited run. If anyone has any info on this hat I can add to its history I would be very grateful.

British and Commonwealth regimental hats are very fun to collect because there are such a variety of units, each with an interesting history. The Grey and Simcoe Foresters are a primary reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian armed forces raised from the counties of Grey and Simcoe and dating back to 1866. Since restructuring of the British army amalgamated the Sherwood Foresters into the Mercian regiment, the Grey and Simcoe Foresters are the only remaining unit in the Commonwealth of Nations known to be distinctly designated as a regiment of Foresters. The badge on the hat has a silver Maltese cross with pomme bearing a stag couchant encircled by a wreath of autumnal maple leaves. The words "Grey" and "Simcoe" are on a ribbon on either side of the stag. There is a gold crown at the top and a gold ribbon at the bottom bearing the word "Foresters." The hat is Lincoln green. This hat is a junior officer hat, made in February, 1983 by William Scully Ltd, size 7 1/4.

Vintage hat made by Wentworth -Forman co with City of Boston seal and number "182" at the bottom. Seller had no information- is this Police? Fire? I suspect police because of the stars at the bottom and the side buttons have a fancy "P" embossed on them, but cannot find a similar Boston PD hat badge.

Officer, Royal Corps of Signals. This is an exceptional hat, with very nice needlework around the band. There is a maker's mark inside from the Herbert Johnson Company, New Bond Street, London. The gold on the brim represents an officer, but I do not know if the exact rank can be determined. I have the original box with the mail cancellations on it dating the hat to 1974 and showing the owner as "R.W. Walker" of Newcastle. That name is also printed in ink inside sweat band.

The Royal Corps of Signals is a branch of the British Army established in 1920 and responsible for battlefield communications. The emblem represents the Greek God Mercury, but is referred to as "Jimmy" by members of the corps. "Jimmy" is also on the side buttons.

This is a lovely, size 7, cream colored, military style, band director's hat made by the famous Ostwald company. The brim is shiny white, with a metal, gold-colored band and buttons embossed with a lyre. The hat was purchased from Utah, but the seller did not know its history. Uniforms by Ostwald made some of the best band uniforms in America from the 1930's to 1980. Many of the most famous college band uniform designs came from Ostwald. Ostwald was known for their quality, and there are many great examples of the classic 1950's high school band shakos made by Ostwald. This hat is a bit of a mystery, though. It is marked inside as belonging to "B.D" (band director) L.D. Stephenson, but I do not know what band or the exact era it was used. It was likely a High School band, but the design is very similar to that used by many collegiate bands. The emblem, which is reminiscent of the US Army hat emblem, but missing the field of stars, was common in Ostwald designs. The Michigan State Band had a hat of similar design, but with the letters MSU atop the eagle's wings. I would love to know who Mr. Stephenson was, as it would add to the history of my collection.

This is a beautiful military hat. It was purchased on Ebay sold as a "post war Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral's hat." The design is unique- the emblem matches the IJN, rather than the current Maritime self defense force, but the flower is stitched in gold bullion rather than the silver flower on WWII IJN officer hats. The strap is braided rather than leather, and buttons are black. I have not been able to find anything else like it. The inside lining is silk, and the only apparent writing is "8 1/2 g." It is certainly an attractive hat in good condition (a few minor stains.) I would appreciate any information, as references on the post-war Japanese navy are hard to come by.

Rare Hong Kong Police Inspectors cap (cover). Before the Chinese took over, belonged to a friend of mine who later joined Cumbria Constabulary, UK police force, prior to the Chinese taking over Hong Kong.

This cardboard ad came in an auction box with some fashion ads from the 1980's. It says on the back it is a" byhograph" paint process. I can't find anything online explaining what this is or when it was made. I did find only 1 byhograph made by the same company in St Paul, Mn that was from the 1930's. Can anyone help me identify what this is and when it was made? Worth? On the front it must have had a sticker that was torn off.

Original service dress visor cap worn by a Marshal of the Soviet Union. The visor was attributed to Marshal Sokolov, but I was never able to verify this. The cap shows some wear inside, the exterior is nearly perfect. The cap manufacturer (which translates as "43rd Central Experimental Manufacturing Combine") was the most common manufacturer of general and admiral caps in these later years. Hand embroidered gold bullion oak leaves surround the two-piece Soviet cockade. All high ranking officers utilized two-piece cockades, if you find any example with a solid piece device, it is either a replacement, or more likely, the cap is a fake.

These are hat boxes that belonged to my great aunt and date to the 1950s or very early 60s at the latest. Capuell's (the name on the top of the box on the right) was a middle class department store chain in the east Bay Area of San Francisco Bay.

Vintage Royal Stetson "Whippit" found in early 1970's in excelent condition. Was purchased at Washer Brothers in Ft, Worth Texas.
I got it from a estate sale, Washer Bros. went out of bussiness in early 1950's. Would love to know why it's in a Dobbs Fifth Ave. hat box? Any ideas?

I found this vintage Ocelot and Felt hat in a very compressed condition in a box of miscellaneous items in an auction recently! I paid £8 for the boxful, with lots of other goodies that I can pass on and recoup the cost of the box! So I had this lovely vintage hat for very little. I am not over impressed with the colour of the green, but it is of its time and is probably still quite appealing to those interested in vintage headgear! Hope you like it!

The construction of the hat...something many don't consider when pondering a purchase or admiring a wearer. Millinery - the art of hat making- is a remarkable art form. This is just one example of many styles of blocks used to create remarkable 'headware'.

All I have to do is decide whether to wear them or display them, I am especially fond of the pink one. I think these are 1940s or 1950s, I just scored all 3 for $10! Maybe I will display them and wear them when the mood suits.

A lovely vintage 50s midnight navy structured tam made of felted wool by the Geo. W. Bollman Co. of New York. Simply designed with a flat felt bow over the right eye underneath a small fold, this classic structured tam is timeless, and is as stylish today as it was when it was made. Unlined, it has a matching grosgrain ribbon hatband on the inside. A size 71/4 (M-L), this hat is in excellent vintage condition.

This is a classic hollywood glam "wow" hat from the 1940s. This is a repost of one of my fav hats that was removed by CW because I put it (oops!) on my website after getting great feedback here. Well now it is sold and it is no longer for sale and so it can come back to CW. I love this hat and hated to see it go, although the woman who bought it loved it and looked sooo good in it I was happy that she had it. The hat is beautiful, thick and lush orange velvet with an orange velvet bow around the very flat crown. The underside of the hat is thick cream velvet. There is a little crown on the underside in orange velvet that holds the hat on the head. The hat has a designer label - Marie Clair New York. This is just such a gorgeous hat and the most amazing thing is that it is in almost mint condition with no scuffing or crushing of the velvet and no marks or stains on the cream underside of the hat, or anywhere else. An awesome hat!

Premium Christy's of London black furfelt Devon bowler (known as derby in the USA) with hunting (padded) hat band for comfort and secure fit, and reenforced crown for possible equestrian use (or driving with the top down!). The hat looks like it just came out of the store although the landmark red and gold box has a few dents from age and handling. Lined with pleated red silk, this design has been made by Christy's since the 19th century with very little modification - only the tags assist in the dating of the hat. This is Christy's top-of-the-line bowler made famous in movies like James Bond. It is a size 6 7/8 and is in mint condition.

I recent purchased this derby on ebay, and I'm looking for help dating the hat. The seller thought it was the early 1900's based on other items with which the hat was stored.
The hat has the following labels in it's interior:
Stetson Block 522 Depth 5
7902 - Serial Number? Inspector number?
To Duplicate Mention E309283
Hat Industry Code Authority 347129

I recently purchased this item as it looked like a cavalry hat which I thought was really cool. The seller purchased it in Chicago but that was all he could tell me about it. Can anyone tell me about the hat by the hat badge (#117). The inside of the hat is in excellent condition and has the makers mark of Feldman Bros in Chicago. Can any one shed some light on this item and perhaps give me a ballpark value. Many thanks Christine

Purple velvet Victorian tricorn with asymmetrical brim - wider on the left than the right. Flat top. Built on a buckram frame with a wired brim and top of the flat crown. Adorned with thick curled black ostrich plumes - one around the brim and the other spilling off the left side and down the back. Lined with delicate black silk and stamped with the makers mark in gold - Lewis & Anderson Millinery Salon, Greensboro. This would be North Carolina (lucky there are not too many Greensboro's in the USA!). The velvet is a little worn and the lining is delicate, but other than that the hat is in excellent condition and is still glorious. The huge ostrich plumes are also in excellent condition, having stood the test of time really well. This hat has incredible presence and harkens to a time when ladies hats were bold but still gracious. I have over 250 hats and this is my favourite!

Hello! Bought this as almost nobody else bid on it, and Simon kept yelling! "Buy it, buy it! or else!!" I believe it is Samurai hat of some kind, really well made and in perfect condition, If anyone knows more about this type of hat, please let me and Simon know!! Now Simon wants a Samurai Sword! Kids are so expensive!! Don

Deborah of New York is one of my favorite millinery designers. She was not afraid to take chances, and so created some amazing hats in the 70s. This is a black wool hat with an asymmetric, set in brim. One side of the brim is swept up and the other is tied down in a design that Deborah of New York used on another hat I posted some time ago. This hat is decorated with crinoline, and lots of it......around the brim, and a huge swirled rose on the left side. It is also decorated with three long trimmed feathers that sweep out to the right from the crinoline rose. Then there are the sequins - all over the underside of the brim, along the shaft of the feathers, zigzaging across the crinoline trim along the edge of the brim, and of course, in the rose. This hat simply glitters because of all the sequins. The hat also has amazing flow largely due to the swirled design of the hat which is repeated in the rose and feather trim. This is not a hat for the faint of heart, but it is one for a woman who knows who she is and has the self confidence to wear it. Amazingly, it is unworn and still has the original tags from the 70s. The hat is a size 213/4 which alas is too small for me. I love this hat!

The things you find when cleaning out your shed. Here we have an old chicken feather hat from some long past estate auction. Pretty sure everyone has one of these in their shed. Seriously, no clue about these hats. All feathers, wire frame, netting and pretty dusty, seems to all be there. Any clue?

This is one of my very favorite hats. It is a fab black velvet tricorn from the Edwardian period. It is in incredible condition with like new velvet and a lovely black satin lining. Wonderfully hand made but alas no signature or label. Curled black ostrich feather trim. I have a red tartan historical outfit that I wear for various functions involving the antique world - it is actually a Victorian outfit with a wide skirt and a snug little jacket trimmed in black velvet. I wear this hat with my red tartan outfit, along with black Victorian lace gloves, a black parasol with wonderful Victorian lace edging, and a black lace fan from the same period. Although the hat is from a slightly later period, it looks lovely with the outfit and the ostrich feather makes it looks Victorian. It is an awesome hat and one that is not for sale in our shop.

I inherited the hat from a very interesting client. I meet him and he passed two weeks later. 92 years of age in the year 2011. Most interesting man I have ever met. He was in the USAF and an international traveler. The size is a 6 7/8. There is a small bow inside in the back, which indicates it is a women's hat.
There is a printed label inside the hat and it says:

B. PASQUALE
654 Mission St.
San Francisco 5, Calif.

This print is protected by a plastic which is sewn into the lining of the hat. Very well preserved stamped label.

The buttons on the side which hold the adjustable chin straps, are of the same as the embroidered emblem at front. But they seem to be holding a draped rope from claw to claw.

What a difference a day makes! We finally got some sun and so I was able to get this hat into a black background which I think gives more contrast and allows people to see the details of the hat much more clearly. We have not had the sun for 3 weekends now and so it was so nice to see it this past Saturday and Sunday. You can see the wonderful folding of the ribbon much more clearly. I feel quite strongly that this hat is a designer hat as the work with the ribbon is so clever and innovative - too bad I do not know who it was. It is a hat that excels with light and shadow, and the additional movement provided by the nap of the every so soft pink velvet makes me think of Hattie Carnegie, and she did many hats in this shape of pillbox......what do you think?

Got this at a military estate sale this weekend; was in a box with three coins among the veterans field gear. Handmade with needlework art, unknown origin or type of hat. Three German coins were pro sealed as shown, no other coins in the estate sale. Any clue?

A simple but elegant net hat. An oval structured grosgrain ribbon encircles the head and ends at the back with a flat back. The veiling is crisp and covers the face ending at the chin. There are a couple of small breaks in the veil, which is original to the hat, but these are unobtrusive and do not detract from this elegant hat - you have to look to find them. A great hat for an elegant evening out. In very good vintage condition. No labels. Fits Divine Darling so probably about a size 22 - however the nature of the hat is such that it will fit a wide range of sizes. Very classy. The crisp rayon veiling is very 1950s.

A beautiful pale powder pink soft velvet pillbox with folded squares of matching pink grosgrain ribbon arranged in a diamond-shaped trim around the edge of the hat and one square at the very top. Slightly rounded crown with wide straight sides adorned with the squares of ribbon. A great colour for blonds (see Divine Darling who looks soooo good in this hat) but also a stunner with dark hair and eyes. Topped with a matching eyelid veil in the softest, finest french silk so this hat must be early 1950s. The veil can be tucked inside the hat for a different look. There is one little round black 'sparkler" button with clear rhinestones over the left eye that catches the light when you move. A sweet soft hat in very good condition. A few marks on the matching grosgrain ribbon hatband inside - undoubtedly makeup stains. The hat has a union-made label, but alas any designers label that may have been in the hat has disappeared over time.

Vintage 1960s wide brim woven straw - very chic! Has a wide grosgrain ribbon around the high crown with a flat bow at the back accented with just a hint of white. Looks great with big chunky jewelry - like the MOP shown. Great to keep the sun off and ever so basic in basic black. There is only a small label with size M inside, but really it is a size large and I have to use cork in the inside grosgrain hat band to get the hat to fit Divine Darling, who is a size 22. This hat is a size 23 1/4. A great hat for those sultry evenings at the yacht club....

Found a few hats at the thrift store 1/2 off sale. I think most of the charms are from Cracker Jack but a few I don't know. The crossed canons are a military "sweetheart" charm. I wonder what some of the others might be. The R ? - the green enameled one ? - PU ?
I have seen caps like this but do not know much about them. When were they most popular ? Did kids actually wear them?

Found a few hats at the thrift store (1/2 off sale). I did a quick search but found no information online about this hat or maker. It is a well made, good quality hat. anyone have any guess as to age/style/maker ?

A lovely little hat from the 1940s. A little cage-like headband covered in black velvet with a wonderful soft and supple pure silk veil. The veil is decorated with little black velvet stars, in the middle of which are single rhinestone. No tag. Simple but very elegant.

This neat little pink step topper is decorated with a self pink felt bow and a small rhinestone pin at the back, and with black velvet ribbon around each "step" or layer of the hat. Great for spring, warm yet spring coloured. Unlined with a matching grosgrain ribbon hatband inside, this size 22 hat is in excellent vintage condition inside and out. There was no trace of veiling when I got this hat, but the era and style suggest that there could have been veiling on it. I could restore with silk veiling. What to you think - to veil or not to veil?

This designer label Cossack style pillbox is another 1950s classic. The deep, fully lined crown on this one tapers slightly outward, giving slight fullness that allows it to be worn slightly pulled to one side almost beret style. Very classy. Divine Darling does St. Petersberg.......or would that be Leningrad?

This is a wonderful dark navy blue velour cloche that is very "flapper". Folds and a thin, separate velour bow on one side and a rounded cap on the rest. Covered all over the front with hand applied sequins each holding a seed pearl. There is a wide loose veil. This is quite a thick warm hat so it was designed for winter - maybe for holiday parties as it is not your typical everyday hat. It's probably the thickest velour I have seen used to make a hat. It's an early Henry Pollack from New York guessing by the imported French velour. Probably just before the war, as I am certain that France was not exporting very much post 1939. It is beautifully made - unlined (thank goodness as one would probably find this plenty warm enough without a lining if worn to an indoor event!) but with a matching grosgrain ribbon hat band inside. A simple but classy and clever design by Henry Pollack! Maybe this is better called a caplet or a topper, but personally I really think it emulates the cloche (too bad we can't ask the designer!) in many respects so I am going to list it under cloche and flapper hats.

Hi bought these two hats in Ecuador 1982 Otavalo, The men there wear felt hats, short cotton pants, blue ponchos, and pony tails. I just looked Hotels, more expensive now! haha Now about $15 - $25 for good room! The pancho I think is Guatemala. The headband is good old USA rattlesnake! Ecuador is very special! Thanks for looking!

A great halo hat from the 1950s. The basic part is black felted wool with a big wide band of tulle/lace around the edge and a black grosgrain ribbon hat band that spills off the back. Label is early Halston. Another very classy 1950s hat.

A lovely wool pillbox from the 60s. Creamy taupe is the only way I can describe the colour. It's one of those colours that looks different in different lights - sometimes beige, sometimes grey, sometimes cream, sometimes even slightly greenish......This is not the little Jackie O type pillbox on top of the head but rather a large full formed hat type pillbox. My fav part are the two HUGE silk tassels that hang down the right side. The hat is a little big for Divine Darling as it is a size large, but you can get the idea. Very very classy! Looks best worn slightly on a tilt with pazzaz! It has a little elastic to wear under the hair to keep it on - you need something because the tassels are quite heavy - a hat pin is helpful too. Looks great with a black coat.

This is a great hat from the 60s era. It is a beige/taupe woven rayon flat-top derby with a matching wide grosgrain ribbon hatband that spills off the back of the brim. The label says Boutique New York and Montreal and it is fully lined with the same matching grosgrain ribbon on the inside. In sz 22, this hat is in excellent vintage condition and looks as good on as when it was made 40 or so years ago. Great texture and shadows in this hat!

Here is a wonderful little 1940s beaver felt short brim hat with a classy little pin on the front. The hat is ever so soft - like mohair - but warm as can be. It is a Merrimac in Size 22, and is in excellent vintage condition. This style would have been worn at the end of the war. It has a tiny ribbon of beaver that goes around the crown and is tied in the back in a simple little bow. Other than that and the pin, the hat is very classic and simple. In basic black it's great with jeans or dressed up with a nice coat.

A great little silk facinator in the most summery shade of chartreuse green - silk leaves and hydrangea flowers are attached to a clear comb for application in the hair. So fresh and cool! It reminds me of a sultry summer night - like to be reminded of that about now......It still has the original tag on it from New York, so I don't think it has ever been worn. I will fix that when summer gets here!:-)

Custom Leather Hat Box measures approximately 14" x 16" x 9" with Yale brass locks and a "Beller" logo tag. The box is lined with purple satin fabric. The hat rests in a sized ring. The hinged box lid is also lined with a fabric panel attached to the lid with leather straps and brass snaps. Lifting the fabric panel reveals a certificate of authenticity from the John B. Stetson Company.

The parchment is mounted in a leather frame. Its reads,

"This certifies that Hat No. 7 in the Stetson Ermine Series "J" was manufactured from pure Ermine fur and pure Beaver fur exclusively by expert handcraftsmen in the factories of John B. Stetson Company Philadelphia. Only ten hats have been made in this series.
The Ermine tails attached hereto are from skins used in making these hats.
John B. Stetson Company"

The hat is made of black Ermine and Beaver fur. The stand (rise) of the hat is approximately 6" with a oval brim 14" from front to back. The brim has a tight "pencil" role upward. A black fabric band (ribbon) approximately 1/4" tall is secured around the hat in a single bow several inces wide. The hat has been worn but appears in "fine" condition. The leather sweatband is stamped with the Stetson trademark on one side in gold-colored ink. The opposite side of the sweatband is marked the the same gold color with the logo of "Jones Merc. Co.", "Canton's Big Dept. Store", "Canton, GA"

The buyer and original owner of the hat was my Great-Grandfather (maternal), Mr. Earl Woods of Alpharetta, GA. Born 1890? and died in 1956. Mr. Woods was a contractor in the metro Atlanta area during the 1940's and 50's. He was a tall, dapper man smartly dressed for the time who grew his own roses which were often worn on his suit's lapel.

Many of Mr. Woods hats as well as contractor's tools have been saved by the family, but this particular hat is a standout amongst the surviving possessions.

Any additional information regarding the Stetson Series "J" Hats would be appreciated.

This is a tremendously classy hat. Simple and classic. It has a union label inside that indicates it is from the 1950s - but it is as stylish today as it was then. In beautiful silver mink. The pelts have been put together very cleverly to form a classic turban. This is a wonderfully warm hat too - and just the thing for the -35C temperatures we have been having for the last week. Classic on its own, I sometimes wear it with this lovely pink Juliana pin (also from the 1950s) when I want to dress it up, along with a pink silk scarf under my black coat. Size 22 1/2, fully lined, very well made, and in excellent vintage condition.

Amazing designer straw hat by Deborah of New York. Probably 1970s-ish. I love this hat because it has incredible flow. The rounded crown fits low on the brow and the asymmetrical brim is turned up in a way that simply swirls around the crown. Along the bottom of the crown and the under side of the brim is black sequined braid, and at the "apex" of the brim - where it swirls highest over the crown - is a large leaf-shaped sequined appliqué that spans the crown and the brim. The brim swirls down in the back so that from the back the hat looks like a pancake hat. The hat is very structured so the brim is solid and does not move - the flow and the movement of this hat comes purely from the amazing design. A size 22, this wonderful piece of millinery design is in excellent vintage condition.

Wonderful black "Jerry Jo" style hat by New York Creations. In black felted wool with a short brim, tiny wool bow at the back and sprinkled all over the crown with black glass beads that sparkle in the light day and night. I love this hat cause it is both simple and elegant - it goes with blue jeans or a fine 50s pencil skirt and swing jacket!

This hat was a gift and I was wondering if anyone can give me some additional information about it. Things like what it's made out of, if it has a particular name for this style, when if might have been made, etc. I have done a lot of internet searches and I can't seem to find any information out there. Thank you!

This is a vintage Dunlap hat made in New York. As I am new at this again I have been unable to find any info on it. I do know that it is mint condition and was owned by my boyfriend's grandfather. (Both my boyfriend and myself are at least 57 years old). Can anyone direct me as to where to find out more about an item such as this? I don't know how old it is or it's value.

An iconic hat from the late 50s/early 60s. Fabulous moss green color velvet. Exactly matching soft French silk veiling. A matching sating band around the edge (velvet is not going to do well against skin oils!). Fully lined with B&W jacquard silk. Beautifully made. The only label is unionmade in USA. Matching flat bow on top. Size M. Great hat!

Top hat in a carved leather case, and the second top hat was used by Great Grandpa when he lived in Wyoming Powder river area as a Buffalo hunter. I have a couple excerpts from the wills in the estate that give details.. Please check out my other posts of native american items. Grandpa was quite a guy.. Jeff

I purchased this scout hat at an auction.
It looks very old and has some artwork or stamped images on the underside of the brim. I wonder what the significance of the images are.
Baden Powell I detected oriental artwork as well.
Also called a slouch hat.

I bought this Stetson Bowler hat this summer and I am curious about it's age. It sure looks old, but the linig is missing and the box is from Disney Hats. The inside labels say John B. Stetson of Philadelphia, but another label says B.F. Schliesinger & Son, Oakland, CA. The band is leather and there is a curious, cross shaped vent in the top. THe vent holes are not noticable unless you look closely and into the light. Can anyone tell me more about the history/age of my hat?

Delicate metal decorations all around the box. Has original sticker stamped on it. Says. Hotel Berlin with Room number on it. Little rippled on lid, but otherwise great condition. My pride and joy :-)

This item was given to me because I fell in love with the look of it, the age of it. . But just just think about the the lady and the hat. It's Like Gulliver's Travels. How many. Stage coaches has this been on? What ships,

Wooly Bully's is a rock n' roll diner that was founded in Detroit, MI in 1980. It's sort of an off brand Hard Rock that's a little more rockabilly than hard rock. My guess is this has to be from their early days, considering it's aging.

So my great uncle passed away a few years ago and I acquired a bunch of what seemed to be junk. So being the procrastinator that I am I never went through any of it. So long story short my wife said throw it out already so I decided to go through it and I came across this hat. I can't seem to find anything of this "The Fair Chicago" hat. Its beautiful unfortunatly my head is huge. I would like to know more about it if anyone is able to help. I do know that in the same box there was a ticket stub from the Chicago's World Fair now if it was bought then I do not know. Any information would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

I aquired a vintage Resistol Hat display a few years back at a place out in the country that was closing. It was a clothing store that sold work gear and tack since the 40s.
I have tried to locate another one or find out anything about this piece with no luck.
Has anyone seen one of these or have any clue as to its value or age?
Would appreciate any feedback.
Thanks.
texpride01@yahoo.com

I am trying to identify this cap found in my late husband's possessions. His grandfathers served in WWI and great-grandfather in the Spanish American War. All his relatives were military. Can you help me out?
Thanks

I love this photo of mother, she loved her hats and this was her favorite. Mother is gone now but we still have the hat. The hat is two piece straw hat with a veil. I don't know if it was made to wear two ways or not, but the top of the hat is a little hat that covers the crown of your head and com es down in back in a v-shape with little v-shape that sits right at the top of face at hairline. Then the crown of the hat goes on top with the veil.
The hat was lost for years, the hat box was crushed. So the hat is a little ruffled but for 70 years old it still looks good.
******************************************************************
The second photo she she is posing pretty. The next two photos were from her days as the first Negro policewoman in Buffalo, New York. The photo with the two men is the vice squad this was in newspaper in Buffalo where she was called the leader of the Vice Squad. The second is from one of her police details (the man in middle is Arthur Lee Simpkins was well-known singer appeared on You Asked For It! and Your Show of Shows) as a bodyguard. The last photo is her police badge. Appointed February 29,1944. I found all these photos after my mom passed.

I found this adorable top hat and had to have it. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's so small. As you can see from picture 3, it's much smaller than an equivalent adult/man's hat. Because the smaller hat fits a 12 yr old child while the other falls to her ears, I am assuming it was for a child but it might fit a very small woman. The internal rim measurements are: Side to side: adult: 6", child's: 5 3/4". Front to back: adult 7 5/8", child's 7 3/8".

The side lining is a bit raggy, but otherwise it's in wonderful shape. I'm no expert but it looks and feels like beaver - definitely not silk. I've found the label (see picture 2) on other top hats dated pre-1900 but nothing specific about the maker or exact period.

That's all I know although I've scanned the net. I can't find anything on a hat this size. Any info on maker, period, history, value, etc. would be more than welcome. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

Hello does anyone know how you can tell how old a Stetson is and is Royal Deluxe their top grade? This hat has the name of the store from which it was purchased , Joseph's Man's-Shop Austin Texas and research links the store to the late president Lynden B. Johnson as being where he purchased his hats, There was a mural bearing his likeness wearing a Stetson Open Road hat beneath Joseph's name. I aquired this hat through an auction , Thanks alot, Marvo

old hat I used to wear while selling newspapers I was about 10 at the time back in the 1950's, how I ever managed to get my big head into it I'll never know, won't say what it fits like now but "pimple on a pumpkin comes to mind". >:-)

Picked this up. I just barely remember the yellow cabs in Philly and the drivers. We didn't have much dealings with taxis but when you think of cabs you think of yellow cab with its fare box and the yellow hat. Back in the late 50ties early 6oties I think that yellow cab was the only sevice in Philadelphia Pa.

Hats & hat box belonged to my Great Aunt whom consequently I am named after. The woven hat is an original Lee Bury of Dallas. Beige hat with silver bugle bead bow is a Marche' exclusive. Behind them is her high school diploma dated 1926. These are my favorite things of hers and are displayed in my home along with other items she loved.

I recently acquired several hats at an Estate Sale but this one in particular caught my eye. Its matters very little to me that the hat's netting is coming loose in several areas. I love the top of the hat in particular. I refer to as a "spider" look. Some people love shoes, I've fallen in love with these hats.

I've looked up as much information concerning hats that were manufactured under the label Union Made and the United Hatters, Cap & Millinery Workers Union. This particular hat has the Union Made label with identifying code or make of DF 869587. I live in the Dallas Fort Worth area and have come to find that there were several small companies such as Volk Brothers Shoe Store of Ferris, Texas which manufactured shoes and hats and perhaps were a part of the Union. They owned Volk Brothers Shoe Store which was located at 1806 Elm, Dallas, Texas at or about the 1930s. This makes me understand the meaning of "small town USA," where there were local hatters, cap, millinery and clothiers. I would have loved to have been one of those women who got dressed up, put on their finest hat and headed downtown to shop for the latest fashions.

I am nothing short of amazed by these hats and am in love with the style(s). It is no wonder the popularity is coming back. I admire the woman who used to own this hat, as well as the others I acquired. She was a fashionista of her day.

]]>Hats / Womens 1950s Hatshttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/60276-1940s-or-1950s-black-halo-union-madehttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/60276-1940s-or-1950s-black-halo-union-madeLooking for age of a hat in this photo. Black lace with rose. Very stylish.http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/59908-looking-for-age-of-a-hat-in-this-photo
Fri, 22 Jun 2012 05:08:53 -0700

Here is a very stylish hat made of stiff black lack with wider strips winding through it. It has a large rose on the edge. looking to see if age of hat can be established. Is it 30' 40's or 50's style?

I am trying to find more information on this bamboo hat/helmet that my grandfather brought home during WWII. All I know is that he was a radio operator on a PT boat and stationed around the Phillipines. Any help would be appreciated. I've been doing some Internet searches and have come up empty. Not sure if this was a military helmet, a fisherman's hat or simply something that he bought...

I am trying to find out if there is any value to this. The inside of the hat read stetson royal de luxe it is a size 7 1/8 .. I was going thru some old stuff and came across this . Looking for any info.

The hat is a size 7 1/4 distribited by the Mclilley & Companyt out of Columbus, Ohio. Look old and maybe a military. The hole in the front is from somone ripping off a cross which was a patch. Some one said it was a salvation army chaplin hat, possibily very old. Others say it a female mililiary hat from back when. The buttons say "lk hogseosno vinces" with a crown and cross insigna.

Your ideas would be interesting?
ty...willy-bear

]]>Hats / Military Hats and Capshttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/56962-what-is-the-hathttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/56962-what-is-the-hatVintage hat? What's the name for this type of hat?http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/56044-vintage-hat-whats-the-name-for-this-ty
Fri, 18 May 2012 18:59:40 -0700

Any one knows about the maker or company name for this hat? I have tow of them It has no name logo as you see in the picture & just numbers inside 9853, the other hat has 85211. Any ideas?

These were my mom's hats that she purchased from a favorite local store in Richmond, Virginia , Thalhimer's Department Store. Famous for their wonderful scrumptious fudge at the candy counter, this was where ladies would shop to buy the latest fashion if they were shopping on a budget but still wanted to be seen as fashionable. These two hats are in wearable condition, too. Mom kept them away from heat and humidity.

found this box today at an estate sale. Looked vintage and interesting. Does anyone know if it is worth anything? Or was it a waste of money? Does the number code on the bottom, "427 I.O.B" mean anything? It also reads Patent Applied for Robert Gair Co, IN. What is it worth? Thanks for taking the time to reply/read.

This hatpin will bring to mind the worst of tyrants but it is of a time when the swastika was actually a good luck charm. I believe it to be about one hundred years old and the blue enamel, (not much left), is not the color that would be used on a nazi item. It is probably European but could be domestic. There are no maker's marks on this item.

I would like your help finding out
what year it was made and company
it looks pretty old but in great shape .
the blue accent that goes around it's like a
soft net filling and as you can see it has lace going
around the hat. either way I hope you like my hat
or maybe you yourself are searching for answer on a
similar item. Thanks for stopping by

Vintage miniature black top hat is ceramic or porcelain and measures about 3" x 3-3/4" x 2" high. The Cavanagh name and logo are on the inside, along with a painted brown hat band. It is in nice condition.

Ladies Hat Rest. Metal with green Bakelite topper and bead. Stand flexes at center. Don't know age but still has price tag of 10 cents. Sold at The Fair Dept. Store in Ft Worth Tx. The Fair was an upscale fashion store in downtown Ft Worth. About 9 inches tall and 4 inches at base. Feather hat is a Neiman Marcus item but not as old. Thanks for looking and glad to share.

I have been collecting hatpins for over 20 years. I think their history is so interesting and they are easy and beautiful to display. Watch for fakes and "marriages", but they are all beautiful and unique... Inherited some, antique auctions, some ebay, some antique stores... Slowing down a bit, now though. Nice to see so many beautiful ones here on this site.

I found this in a vintage shop today. I fell in love with it and the owner just didn't want to give it up. Eventually I got it but I have no idea the value or what it is. I was told this it is from the 40's but that may be incorrect. The inside is marked Swan Pure White Body made in Italy and the rim is tagged Helen Farnsworth Original. Any information?

My son found this cap wanted me to have it .I wanted to know more about so i researched it . The history is just this A m f brought the harley company and this cap was made by The Leather Works by American Machinery Foundry.I love this cap, it in very good condition.

This is my grandfathers dutch police hat who has been serving in Holland the Voorburg police for a lot of years. On the day of our immigration he passed away and this is the only thing i have from him.
The hat is in overall good condition. The cap is a bit worn as you can see. It looks like something has been lying on top of it and has melted in. Now you see the pattern. But besides that it is in good condition. The big label photographed says,

INTENDANCE

And the other label at the back says:

INTENDANCE DER RIJKSPOLITIE

The serial number is: 4885 and my grandfather was officer nr. 69.
The big metal medaillion on the front is the police emblem of the city Voorburg. It lies beside Den Haag (The Hague).

I found a bunch of these apparently disposable painters hats from Chief House Paint brand paints that were produced by CHICAGO PAINTS, INC. CHICAGO. I know what these are but I would like to know when these would have been from, and why I can't find any more of these online.

This was my Grandfather's From the mid 1950's. Both pieces are in relatively good shape. I was lucky to find the hat as it had been stuffed in a box in a farm building that I was preparing to demolish.

A pink women's hat with a pink band and pink veil. There is no tag on this. Excellent condition. My wife received a collection of hats from her mother. We have no knowledge of their history--so need help identifying them.

This maroon, veiled hat with what appears to be 2 pheasant feathers displayed from a maroon ribbon/hat band. The inside band reads "IMPORTINA" and a union label inside that says "United Hatters Cap...Made in USA.

Purple women's hat with purple ribbon. Belonged to my wife's mother. The labels read "Styled by Coralie" and "Duchess REG'D, Body made in Italy". The number "22" is sewn into the headband and another label sewn into the headband says "Union Made 466827".

This mixed materials hat was sold by high-end department store Frost Bros. Drips of pearls atop velvet and grosgrain with star-shaped and rhinestone beading.

Dating from the 60s, this hat was made in Austria by Marisia for William. When I see something like this today, it's fun to guess at how much something like this would cost to be produced in our economy.

Frost Bros. was an expensive retail store known for its customer service that began in San Antonio, Texas. It began in 1917, growing to expand beyond Texas, changing ownership several times (Manhattan Industries, Garfinckel/Brooks Brothers, Sam Wyly) and until 1989 when it was liquidated.

Well I bought this item about 15 years ago from an estate sale. The family couldn't tel me anything about it. It is a copper visor, with hoses and brass fittings atached to it. The hose runs to a small tank on the underside of the visor. There are small slit type holes along the bottom of the tank, 8 toltal about a inch apart. Only mark is a patpend on the front. Anyone have any ideals? Guess's?

This is the hat style that was worn by Harrison Ford in the movie, " Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark." Indiana Jones remains one of cinema's most revered movie characters.
In 2003, he was ranked as the second greatest movie hero of all time by the American Film Institute.

There are some that may not like Straw hats, but they have their place in the sun. Here are two from my hat collection.The use of straw hats derived out of a need to cover the head while working out under the sun.

This has been in our family for 50+ years. It says it is made by Stetson. The trade mark is in spanish. Did Stetson make things in mexico?
Could it have been made using leather from a Stetson hat band?
Sorry to have more questions than answers. About 5 years ago I wrote the Stetson Company and no one there knew anything.
Thank you

can anybody date this for me ? great condition except the lace. bought 10 years ago in antique store. it is labeled modeled by veeda louisa in california. also mirimac peachbloom velour imported fur stamp inside.no moth hole dark impressive royal blue in color. not looking to sell just want to age it.

I stopped at a antique store today and saw this hat and thought it would look good on my skulls noggin. They said that it was from Paris in the late 1800's. Chapeau Laville Hdrs Concours Paris is printed in the liner. Under the liner printed on the hat is a coat of arms with KNOX under it. There is a label with,,M. GABRIEL on it.

I collect hat boxes when I can get them. This one was colorful. Sorry for the picture I have MS and I'm afraid to move things around at times I'm a little clumsy I just wanted to show you the beautiful color of this one.

I bought this hat in a Australian OPshop a long time ago, I would love to know more about it. It has moved house with me at least 6 times and every time I debate if I should get rid of it. I just can't handle the thought of it getting squashed by someone. Not sure if the feathers that completely cover it are dyed black or they are the original colour. Would love some idea of its age. It is small size.
Thanks

Can anyone help me with this item. I know its old very old. When you look through a jewlers loop it looks like braided straw. Is it a childs or a young ladys. It came from England and belonged to a family member. Does it have any value?

Inherited a Stetson straw hat. Looking for more information on it as it looks like most Stetsons were made in the USA from what I can see. This one says made in Italy. Does anyone have any information about this product that they can offer? I would love to know the history. I know it is pretty old.

I bought this when I lived in Jacksonville, the week of their first ever game against the now debunked Houston Oilers. It's never been worn. Dont think I'll ever sell it. Great memories of living in NE Florida.

Vintage Ponte Rialto Venice straw boater. Made in Italy gild-stamped on inside band. This is identical to the straw boaters owned and worn by Bing Crosby in his movies of the 1930s-1940s. Collectors and wearers have stated that the modern hat brims made by Ponte Rialto are not as thick as this vintage style. The straw is in perfect condition but shows vintage aging in color (the new ones are very pale and white-ish). I bought this is an antique store for $20-$30. I have seen similar ones selling for $25-$119.

Vintage Resistol Cowboy hat, brown, Stagecoach Edition, originally sold through the Silver Dollar Western Wear store in Las Vegas, Nevada. I contacted Ristol and their representative said that the Stagecoach Edition was only issued from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. I bought this at a local Thrift Store/Salvation Army Store for $4.00. Resistol hats new cost from $60 to hundreds of dollars. It's got a great aged and worn look.

I got these from my past weekend trip ! They are so pretty ! I know the stones arent authentic ! and I dont know the time periods etc. but they are nice ! I didnt pay much for them, kinda cheap ! for some reason I love hat pins !

This is the most exciting Colonial Airline item that I found. I kinda like hats, and this is so awsome that I want ot wear it! (Don't worry, I won't) I found an ad for these hats dated 1947, it is a Bancroft Cap Skycrusier, and those are poloroid sunglasses attached to the brim. It is all about the cut of the hat that makes this so awsome, I could see where the sunglasses may get in the way. A cool hat named to an airline, not too common I am sure!

This was an incredible find made by the famous designer "Don Marshall" For Harold alittle about Don Marshall...
Published: May 11, 1995
Don Marshall, a milliner whose creations were worn by many of society's most fashionable women, died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 79.

The cause was a brain tumor, said Alan Wilkinson of Manhattan, a business associate.

Mr. Marshall made toques for Estee Lauder, turbans for Rosalind Russell, broad brims for Joan Crawford and veiled caplets for the Duchess of Windsor. His designs were worn by Rose Kennedy, Irene Worth and Nancy Kissinger, among others.

The hat Grace Kelly wore at her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco was one of his designs. It is now part of the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Born William Sydenstricker in Lewisburg, W.Va., he changed his name in the early 1940's, when he began appearing in Broadway choruses. While entertaining troops returning from the battlefields of Europe, a fellow cast member said she needed a new hat, and he made his first design. He opened his first studio in New York in 1945. At his death, he had salons in Manhattan, Beverly Hills and Paris.

I am in need of some professional advice... We have this hat, its a 15x Beaver skin hat made by the BEE Hat Co around the 1950-1960s. I cannot find a price for it or an estimate of value anywhere. I really need one asap. Is there anyone out there that knows anything about these hats and this comapny? I know the company has shut down and is no longer in business, which should make this hat worth more, since it is almost irreplaceable. The owner of the BEE Hat Co. has also passed away, because with what little I found, I found another shop that knew him and the company who could tell me that much, but couldnt tell me anything about the hat itself. It is a cowboy hat or a Fedora, which ever you prefer to call it. It is brown 15x beaver skin. If anyone can please tell me anything at all about a value of this hat, it would be greatly appreciated.

While running late for a Boy Scout meeting I see a garage sale sign in the older neighbor hood of my home town. I have a car load of teenage boys whom would rather clean their rooms then be caught dead at a garage sale, so I keep driving.
As I pass the sign my oldest son looks at me and sees my dismay, with his eyes rolled he gives me the go ahead. So I turn around get to the sale and find boxes upon boxes of vintage everything! A really great variety.
As I make each of the boys take a handful up to pay I start talking to the women holding the sale. She tells me that her mother recently passed and left her with a house full of things. "Mother never threw anything away" she said, with a overwhelmed frown.
I told her a little about my vintage business and my love for vintage fashion. She jumps from her chair and says "Hold on".
She returns with this adorable hat and I am in love.
She tells me that the entire basement and two rooms are packed with clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry and if I would want to take a look around and help her get rid of somethings she would be thrilled.
I told her it would be a pleasure to help her, not just get rid of things but maybe make her and myself some money.
So lesson is STOP at that sale it just may be the big one!

I love antique Hats, Canes, and Leather Suitcases! These make wonderful props for photoshoots. The cane and hat were my great grandfathers and the cases I got from an auction. They have the old brass hardware. I love using them as home decor!

So it was my birth day this last Saturday which also happened to be the last motorcycle rally and fair well to my place of employment. So now I have a little time to share some of my new treasures. I have not been hunting much at all the last month or so, which is why I have been such a nightmare to be around. So it was a lovely surprise to come home to this fantastic hat. He found it at a rummie and I'm sure he picked it up for a steal. I am not familiar with this designer so if anyone has any info that would be great. Thanks.

I picked up this millinery head. It is hand painted and appears to be plaster of paris instead of the typical paper mache. The wear suggests age and the painting appears more detailed than what I usually see. I am wondering if this is an American piece.

Here is one for all of the military collectors out there! The hat has a business card on the inside in what seems to be a plastic sleeve for some type of driving/tour guide service in Jamaica. Does anyone know why this would be here? And on the back it seems is the name of the officer, his address, and how he can be reached through the military. Was this common practice? Also I would appreciate if someone can confirm this as being an Ensign Navy Officer Hat from WWII. If anyone can assist me on this cool. If not no big deal. Thank you so much in advance. Also thank you all for looking and have a blessed remainder of the week my friends! : )

I found this at an estate sale and fell in love. I cannot find anything about this hat as far as worth. I know Svend was a design house in Paris. The written receipt in the hat box is from 1956. Can anyone help? Any ideas?
Thanks so much-
Michelle

I collect hats, and have around a dozen by Jack McConnell, my favorite milliner. Most of them are the "Styled by Jack McConnell" red feather originals, but I have a few Jack McConnell Boutique hats too. I've been trying to find out anything I can about him, but have not been able to find out much. In all the research I've done in books and on the internet I have only seen those two labels - the red feather "Styled by Jack McConnell, New York" and "Jack McConnell Boutique."

I just bought this hat on Ebay, and the label says "Its for the Birds, Jack McConnell." His name is in the familiar script. The words are machine embroidered in a pinkish red on a green woven label. See the photo above. The body of the wool felt hat is stamped Lancaster, which I found from internet research to be a company that manufactured hat bodies that were sometimes used by other designers in the 1960s-1980s. There is also a Saks Fifth Avenue label in the hat.

Anyone have any information about this mystery label? Also, I'd like to know more about Jack McConnell. Is he still alive? When was he creating the red feather originals? How long was he still designing hats for Jack McConnell Boutique? I know that the Jack McConnell Boutique label is now owned by a mass producer of hats, and they put out a line of new hats every season. I read on the internet that the red feather sewn under the "Styled by Jack McConnell" label means the hat was a one-of-a-kind creation by Jack himself, and that celebrities often commissioned hats by him. That's about all I know about him. If you know any other facts, or leads to how I could find out more, please let me know.

A little help please. The lined Indie hat was a gift from my daughter in 1984 / 85, known to be authentic from the movie. The dark new one I believe is fake as I don't know Stetson to make a Fedora unlined and such a shoddy sticker inside. Can anybody tell me if it is real or fake.
If it is real, I owe my fried an apology...
Thank you very much.

Hat box with brass pieces and leather trim. Fabric has western Europe in background with car logos in the foreground. Logos are: MG, Jaguar, Opel, Porsche, Fiat, Rolls Royce and Mercedes Benz. Patent Number on brass piece: 2 744 595. Any info on this item would be appreciated.

Picked this up at a garage sale. I figured that the auto logos made it more of a collectable for European sports car enthusiasts.

Got this old top hat box at a junk sale. Rogers Peet, evidentually the top hat makers of the stars back in the day. The leather is pretty rough, but a nice handle and inside. Not sure why someone put those straps inside, but easily removable. Any body know where I can get a Rogers peet top hat at a decent price?
Was told this was used in the upcoming movie King Bolden, the guy who trained Louis Armstrong. Filmed in Wilmington NC.
Will look for it in the movie.

I got this helmet at an estate sale in a Chicago suburb. The woman who was selling this said her husband who had passed away, was a Chicago policeman for 28 years. During the 1968 Democratic Convention he was in the Lincoln Park area helping to contain the chaos of the riots that spilled over from Grant Park. She said his picture appeared in the Chicago Tribune wearing the helmet, but she said she has not seen the clipping for years. The tear gas cannister and carrier was also used during this time. There is actually some liquid still in the can. She showed me his badge and the number of the badge matched the number on the helmet. I sure wish she was able to find that picture. I like Chicago history, and this is not only a piece of Chicago history, but a piece of national history during these turbulent times.

This cap was used by a Chicago Police sergeant during the 1970's in Chicago. The gold shield has a schooner, Indian, sheath of wheat, baby in a shell, and is topped off with an eagle. The cap top is navy blue leather for colder weather. The gold chin cord is held on with two gold buttons which say Chicago Police on them. The cap band is gold and navy blue checked as it should be for higher ranking officers. The ordinary patrolman's cap band is navy blue and white checked. This was copied from the British Police.

This cap was used by the Cubs star shortstop Don Kessinger during the 1968 season. It is possible that it is the very cap he is wearing in the 1968 photo of him during spring training. Enjoy, Cub fans.

Hi:
I just found this inoperative electric sign advertising Stetson hats. The coat of arms and the name Stetson are etched into the glass ... the bottom line is not. The thing must have flourescent bulbs/ballast in it as it weighs 9 lbs ... its about 16-18 inches wide.

Is there a Stetson Hat Company collectors web site ... I would like to find out more about the sign. One thing being how to repair it.

This cap was bought at Indy in the 90's and has the four timer winners autograghs. The photo shows A.J, & Rick mears But I don't have the photo of Al Unser signing it. I have added a shadowbox frame and the forth winning ticket for each driver.

Here is a cap used by infielder Dave Collins sometime between 1978-1981. It is unique because instead of being red it is green.The Reds were one of the first teams to use green for St. Patrick's Day during spring training. They are also used maybe one other time during the season, so this makes them rare.

These are just a small sampling of my collection of vintage hats. My collection covers from the late 40's to the mid-60's (with a few dated a little later). I love the Navy Blue one which has a bow in the back and reminds me of Jackie O'.

The hats pictured here were purchased from a woman in Raleigh and were her grandmother's hats. She wanted them to go to someone who would appreciate them and not just "toss" them away. I told her, "no way" I've got the outfits to match these hats and will definitely wear them. I purchased all 11 from her at an unbelievable price. I'll post some of the others when I get a chance.

Rhinestone Movie with Sylvester Stallone & Dolly Parton Stetson Hat Placement Contract with original Photographs. This is a Placement contract between Associated Films Promotions and Stetson Hats for Stallone and others in the Movie Rhinestone from 1983. I have not seen these photos anywere else. Accourding to papers they were taken on the set and sent back to Stetson Hats here in St Joseph as proof of use in film. Heres a FUN game, can anyone find one of these photos on the internet??

This is a game worn Pete Rose cap from his playing days with the Phillies. I am not sure of the year, so it has to be between 1979 and 1983. The cap shows much use, and was obtained from a foremost Pete Rose collector. Hall of Fame or not, you can't ignore the stats that "Charlie Hustle" put up during his long career.

I think I may have something here. It maybe a confederate civil war hat, probably hand made. The outside is a blue wool, appears hand stitched, with a leather strap and viser. It could be a reanactment hat, but I'm not sure. It has a name, and it looks old. The inside of it has a pillow case/ bed sheet kinda cloth. There are sweat marks, the cloth just feels old. I think the strap could of been replaced, cause it looks so new, and it dosen't go down, ruining the purpose of the strap. The buttons look old as well. If it's a replica/ reproduction, it's a very well made one.

This weekend, I went to the The Edwardian Ball & World's Faire 2011, held in San Francisco's Regency Ballroom (built 1909) on January 21 and 22, celebrating macabre mid-century storybook illustrator Edward Gorey, as well as Edwardian, Victorian, and Roaring Twenties fashion.

Received this in a recent trade. Dated 1938 on the inside where the
chin strap connects. Seems like this may be a Canadian WWII military helmet.I've looked around a little, some people think this, some people think that. One of these days I will Know. Haven't talked you Pro's out there yet. More research to do.
Cheers.

I found this hat in the attic putting the Christmas decorations away.
Thought it was neat. The mark in the hat says Colbert a Marshall Field's Company Chicago. Can anyone tell me what kind of hat it is? We have an old farm house, and it was just laying up there in the corner w/ insulation all over it. I want to give it some TLC.

This is one of my most favorite hats! Of course I didn't get this until my grandpa past away. This was the hat he wore all of the time. His initials are labeled in it, J A H, James Albert Henry. I collect hats, but this is my only man hat. Labeled Dobbs Fifth Ave New York. He didn't buy it in New York though, he purchased it in Hutchinson, Ks. I think men should wear more nice hats.

This is a child's wool game used baseball cap. I do not know the year of the cap.

]]>Baseball / Game Used Baseball Itemshttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/6911-childs-wool-baseball-caphttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/6911-childs-wool-baseball-capYour In The Military Now, Your Not Behind A Plowhttp://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/6577-your-in-the-military-now-your-not-behin
Tue, 21 Dec 2010 10:29:34 -0800

Some of the military hat I have acquired over the past couple years, some are family, others have been given to me. There are ww1 & ww2 Army and Navy USS Kentucky stove pipe from my grandfather. Nurse & Marine Corps, Army Air Corps pilots cap and goggle, Army Dress blue hat, Navy Chief's hat my fathers, Navy White Cap, Garrison caps, etc.
I don't have a Coast Guard or Air Force hat yet.

I bought this hat at the Goodwill Store, and I loved it because it was old and in good condition. I was just attracted to it. I did some reasarch on it on the computer, and cannot find this particular hat. Has anyone seen one like it? I know the designer has lots of hats out with very different designs, and a lot of them are still around, but just wondering about this one. It has a serial number in it and says body made in Italy and serial number says Union Made. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Gary White made this hat for me. It is brown, 100% Beaver. It has a wonderful rare Cavanagh edged brim that is 2 1/8 inches wide. As you can tell by the crease in the top and the dents in the sides that I do not prefer for them to be deep and pronounced but rather, soft and flowing

Optimo 1000. Porcelain White.This is Optimo's top of the line hat. My finest hat. 100% beaver. This is a once in a lifetime hat. It matches most any attire. It is my favorite hat. Possibly the finest hat made in the world.

1. This use to be my grandfather's. I have it since 1996 when he dies.
It is a genuine "Suarez" made in San Juan, PR
2. It is a Guatemalan handcrafted of palm leaves by Maya-Quiche Indians
3. Another Guatemalan
4. Genuine Panama hat, I purchase this one in Panama back in 2009

This hat was found in my late grandmother's belonging although I never saw her wear it. I have little history about it and would appreciate any hat collector's imput. The hat itself is purple felt with a ribbon inside for the band-the peacock feathers almost completely cover it and it still has a price tag on it attached by a safety pin although you can no longer read what the price was-there are no identifying tags that would tell me who the hat maker was or where it was made. Maybe a 50's hat????

I'm trying to find out what the deal is with this hat, it was my uncle's and was passed down to me when he died at the age of 89, the leather label inside says "Brent" and its sized 7 1/4 has a small bow on inside back, it seems to be made out of straw, he also had a mallory from the 40's, so i'm guessing this is from around then, any help appreciated!

These are some late-19th century hats on display at the Society of California Pioneers. I don't know much about them, except that they are furry and the second appears to be a bonnet. The hat is silk and taffeta with ostrich feathers and a velvet ribbon. The bonnet is velvet and silk with ostrich feathers. The third picture is a cool advertisement for a hat maker in San Francisco--check it out! The fourth picture is the entire display, which encompasses this post and my last hat post.

J.C. Meussdouffer, who the advertisement is for (and there is a sign of his in the large display) founded his San Francisco hat business in 1849 and the Society of California Pioneers has all of his archives and many of his hats!

At the Society of California Pioneers they have some great hats from the late-19th century on display. These hats made in San Francisco are fairly self-explanatory. Click on the box labels for more details about the makers! One was made by Hermann & Co., while the other was done by Grunwaldt & Co., who claim to be "practical hatters," which begs the question, what would an impractical hat be? A fedora, perhaps? Maybe one that doesn't fit the head? I'm not sure. It sure is too bad that top hats are no longer considered "practical" today.

My roommate is from Chicago and he is a huge White Sox fan. He wears this hat all the time and I actually have no idea if the White Sox ever wore this in games. Do you know? It is a fairly flimsy hat, but the design is cool. I'm not sure it's ideal for baseball -- I don't know if it can withstand the rigors.

I like the design of this hat. It is more fun than the Braves' current script A. The coolest part about this hat is that it comes from 1974, the season that Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record.

This is a Cooperstown Collection hat and unfortunately was not made in 1974.

I collect baseball hats and although I don't have many of them with me right now I'm going to share the old ones that I have.

Although this is a Cooperstown Collection remake of an old Padres hat, it does display an old logo, although I'm embarrassed to say I'm not sure what year it comes from. I'm by no means a Padres fan, but I have at least one hat for every Major League team and more than one for most.